Never Look Away
by Angel-Princess87
Summary: Hermione is overpowered by her problems and writes to someone, anyone who will listen to her. But what she doesn't know is that Draco Malfoy has received her letter and writes her back with one of his own..
1. Chapter 1

She sighed. She didn't know what to do anymore. A tear fell from her cheek. She sat on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging them to her. Her hair fell around her, making a curtain of brown hair around her. She sniffled, wiping the tear away from her face. She closed her eyes, remembering everything that happened within the last few weeks. Her and Ron had had another fight, but over something as stupid as homework. She had refused to help them with their homework, insisting that they should do it themselves.

"Well, what good are you to us then?!"

She could hear the words ringing in her ears as clear as day. Ron had stomped off, with Harry following him, but not before throwing her a look as if saying 'See what you've done now?'. She walked back to the common room, only to see Ginny. Ginny looked up at her and got up from her seat, only to go up to her room. Ginny had made it a point not to talk to her anymore, though she wouldn't give a reason. She sighed, watching Ginny go to her room. She opened her eyes once again, her eyes glazed with unshed tears. She remembered the letter from her parents, which came only two weeks ago. It pretty much said never to come back home, seeing she was in her 6th year and was 'all grown up'. She didn't see how she was grown up in her 6th year at Hogwarts. The tears that glazed her eyes now fell down her cheeks in lines. She looked around her room, trying to find something that would help her feel better. Her eyes fell on a few sheets of parchment and her quill, with a bottle of ink beside it. She got up from her bed, going to her desk. She picked up her quill and dipped it into the ink bottle and started writing to someone, anyone who would listen to her feelings and problems. Someone who understood how she felt. After writing about two and a half rolls of parchment, she signed it anonymous and folded it, putting it in an envelope. She sealed it and went up to the owlery. She found her owl, Lotti and gave her the letter.

"Send this to someone who you think will care to read it."

The owl hooted in response and flew out the window. Hermione Granger watched her owl fly out into the night, hoping she'll find someone to read her letter.

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A blond, grey-eyed boy sat in the Slytherin common room, looking into the fire place. He was bored out of his mind. He couldn't go out and there was nothing to do in his room except read and he didn't want to do that unless he had to. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the heat from the fireplace take over his body.

Tap tap tap

He opened his eyes, looking around. He looked at the window and saw an owl outside. He got up and walked to the window, a confused look on his face. He opened the window, letting the owl in. It flew in, landing on the back of one of the chairs in the common room. It had an envelope in its beak. He walked to it, taking the envelope from the owl. He looked at it.

"Is this for me?"

The owl nodded. He opened the envelope, taking out the parchment. He unfolded it and looked at the owl.

"All this? For me?"

It nodded again. He started to read it. His expression changed from confused to empathic.

"My God..This poor girl.."

He sat down in the chair the owl was perched on. He read the letter, from beginning to end. After reading it, he stared into the fire. The owl hooted above him. He looked up at the owl.

"Is this your owner?"

The owl nodded. He looked back at the letter and got up, making his way to his room. He walked to his desk, taking out some parchment and his quill. He uncovered his ink bottle. He dipped his quill in his ink bottle and started writing the person back. He knew it was a girl by her handwriting, so he knew that he should address it to a girl. He began by telling her that he knew how she felt and everything and began explaining his problems to her. He wrote her two rolls of parchments to her as well, explaining his problems to her. He folded it and put it in an envelope, sealing it with his family's emblem, which was a shield with a 'M' on it. Not many people knew what his family emblem was, so he knew that she didn't know what it was going to mean. He walked back down to the common room to the owl, which was still perched on the chair, as if waiting for him. He gave it the letter and petted its head. He leaned into it, whispering softly.

"Take this to your owner. Make sure she gets it and no one else. Okay?"

The owl hooted in response, flying out the window. Draco Malfoy walked to the open window and watched the owl fly off into the night, hoping that whoever sent him that letter was going to be alright. 

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	2. Chapter 2

**Hey people!! I'm sorry I didn't disclaim in my last chapter, but I'm doing it now. I do not own Harry Potter, no matter how much I wish I could :). Please enjoy this chapter and I'll keep them coming as long as you keep reviewing!! Thanks!!**

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Hermione woke to Lotti hooting at her. She had fallen asleep in the owlery. She sat up, looking around her. Light could be seen slightly in the East. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. She looked at Lotti, who was on the windowsill near her. There was a letter in her beak. She walked to her, taking the letter from her. She petted her head and looked at the letter. It was sealed with an emblem of some kind. A shield with a 'M' on it. She looked at Lotti.

"Is this from the person whom you sent my letter to?"

Lotti hooted. Hermione smiled and opened it. She read it, sitting down on the ground. She smiled at times at what they wrote. When she finished reading it, she looked up at her owl. She smiled at Lotti and got up. She petted her head again.

"Thanks Lotti. You've been a good friend to me. I'll write him back as soon as I can, ok?"

Lotti hooted and flew up to her bench in the owlery and fell asleep. Hermione walked out of the owlery and decided to go back to the common room and read for a while till it was time for breakfast. As she made her way back to the common room, she clutched the letter tight in her hand, as though to make sure that no one took it while she had it. She told the password, which was 'snicklefrits', and walked into the common room. She looked into the common room to see Harry sitting in one of the chairs, watching the fire. He looked up when he heard Hermione walk in. He stood up, his green eyes watching her. Hermione stopped in her tracks when she saw Harry.

"What're you doing up?"

He looked at her, frowning some."Why are you just now coming in?"

She looked surprised. "Why? You don't care, remember?"

His frown softened. "I was worried, is all. You rushed out in such a hurry last night I didn't get a chance to say I was sorry for the other day."

Her face hardened. "I don't want an apology from you. I want one from him. You both make me feel like you're just friends with me because I'm smart. That I'll be able to help you with your homework whenever you ask. But unlike you two who never get their homework done in order to have one, I have a life. But of course, you wouldn't know what that is, since all you do is save the world and ask me for my homework because you don't want to pay attention in class."

She started to walk away to her room, leaving Harry dumbstruck. She stopped and turned to look at him. She never noticed that his eyes were now blue.

"And just so you know, I was in the owlery sending a letter to someone who actually cares about me and my problems."

She walked away but was still able to hear him mumble. "I don't see how, no one cares in the first place.."

She stopped, turned, walked to Harry and slapped him. She leaned into him, whispering in his ear. "I hate you...You and Ron. Don't ever come near me again or will personally kill you. Both of you. Got that?..Good."

She walked away and up to her room. She flung herself on her bed and buried herself into her pillow and cried.

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Draco woke to people talking around him and someone's breath on his neck. He sniffed and made a disgusted face. Pansy. Her breath always smelled a mix of garlic and shit. He opened his eyes to see her face near his. She leaned back and smiled at him.

"Hey Draco. I see you're awake now. I guess my charm woke you..I think that's a sign.."

He didn't hear much of what she was saying. He was thinking about the girl who sent him that letter last night. He was thinking about who she could be. He knew it was someone here because he saw the owl go towards the owlery. And then the seal on the envelope. It was a two-sided seal. One side gold, the other crimson. He got up, walking to the window. He opened it, taking in the fresh scent of the morning. He was glad it was Saturday. No classes. He felt arms around his waist. He looked back to see Pansy wrapped around him. He pushed her away and walked out of the common room. He walked towards the Great Hall, looking down at his feet.

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Hermione got up from her bed, wiping her eyes. She looked around her. The sun was up and it looked like it had been up for sometime now. She walked to her window, opening it. She leaned on the windowsill and let the wind blow her hair around. She closed her eyes, letting the sun shine on her face, drying her tears. She opened her eyes and smiled. She walked to her dresser and picked out some clothes to wear, since it was a Saturday. She picked out some faded flares and a deep burgandy corset to wear. She slipped on some flipflops and walked down to the common room. She looked around, wondering who all was up. She saw Harry and Ron by the fireplace, talking amongst themselves. She smirked as she saw the red mark on Harry's cheek. She walked out of the common room, smiling with satisfaction. She turned the corner to go to the Great Hall and ran into someone, knocking her down. She looked up to see Draco Malfoy looking down at her, a confused look on his face.

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**That's it!! Please review and let me know if I should keep going!! Thanks much!!**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter...Now matter how much I wish I did..

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Draco looked down at Hermione. He blinked a few times, not exactly sure what happened. Before thinking, he offered her a hand up. She looked at it for a moment then took the hand. He helped her up, all the while staring at her. She took her hand back as soon as she could and dusted herself off. He couldn't believe it. She was too beautiful for words. She had changed since the last time he had seen her. She no longer had that bushy hair surrounding her, she had shoulder-length wavy hair, with a small curl at the ends. Her features had changed dramatically. She no longer had a boy-ish look to her. Her lips were pouty and her eyes shone with light that only certain girls get when they know their worth and make it work for them. She had curves and she had the legs. The legs that show that they actually go to some use. She looked at him as if she felt him staring at her. She arched a brow at him.

"What're you staring at Malfoy?"

He blinked. He looked at her and smiled a little.

"Sorry, Granger. Didn't mean to run into you."

He stepped back some and walked around her. He turned the corner and sighed. This was going to be a very long year.

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Hermione stood there, dumbfounded. First, he apologized. Something he has never done in his entire life, let alone to her. Second, he called her Granger instead of Mudblood, which was his favorite nickname for her, when she last checked. She also noticed that he didn't look like he did last year. Instead of his hair slicked back with grease, it fell around his face freely. His eyes, oh goodness, his eyes. They weren't the cold grey they were before. They were a soft bluish grey color. And they didn't hold any anger or hate in them like they used to. They were full of something she couldn't exactly read. To her, it read like loneliness. She knew what that was. She had it now. She sighed. She made her way to the Great Hall, still thinking about him. He had build now. 'Probably from Quidditch.' She thought. She opened the doors to the Great Hall and walked in, walking to a forlorn place at the Griffindor table. She glanced at the Slytherin table and saw Draco also sitting by himself, instead of with his usual buddies. She frowned. 'Why would he be by himself?' She thought. She shrugged, sitting down and grabbing some food from the plates in front of her.

"Hermione?..We need to talk.."

She sighed. She turned to see Ron standing behind her. She glared at him.

"I have nothing to say to you, Ronald Weasley. And furthermore, I don't want you talking to me. Oh, and have you seen Harry? If not, you should see what happened when he tried to talk to me. If you have seen him, you should stay away from me because I will not hesitate to do the same to you."

She turned back to her food and started eating.

"But Hermione..You don't understand.."

She whirled on him, anger clear in her eyes.

"Don't understand?! Don't understand what?! That I'm only good for homework and help?! Let me tell you something, Ronald Weasley, if you think I'm just going to take you and Harry back as friends, then you are sadly mistaken. Since you decided I was 'good for nothing', if remember correctly, I will be by myself because I can't hurt my own feelings. I don't need to copy my own work. I know that I can be by myself and not have to worry about getting into a fight. I'm sorry, Ron, but I don't want to get hurt again by the both of you. Now if you two don't mind, I'm going back to my room to read. You know, a book? Something you both haven't done in a really long time except to read my work."

And with that, she got up and walked out. She headed to her room, then to the owlery.

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Thanks for reading!! Please review and tell me what you think!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter...If I did..I would still write fanfictions :)**

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Draco watched the fight with interest. He couldn't hear what was said, but he was sure Weasley had done something to piss her off. He smiled going back to his food. He looked up when he heard the doors shut and looked at the Griffindor table to see Hermione gone. He felt someone sit beside him. He paid no attention, till he felt arms around his neck. He made another disgusted face and turned to see Pansy's face close to his. He could smell her breath. It smelled like she ate shit for breakfast. He pulled back some, but she had a grip this time. She came closer, putting her mouth close to his ear.

"I heard your father died this summer. Is it true?"

He bit his tongue some. It was true. His father had died this last summer. But he was murdered. He murdered him. He couldn't take the pain and the abuse anymore and just..killed him. With his bare hands. He closed his eyes. It kept coming back to him everytime he closed his eyes. He barely got any sleep from the flashbacks and the dreams. Draco walked the halls of the manor, tiptoeing to his parents room. His mother wasn't home. She was never home. He opened the door to the room, hiding the knife behind his back. He didn't want to use his wand. He'd have to say words to kill him with that. That'll wake him up. Draco looked down at his father sleeping, hatred filling his eyes. He raised the knife and shoved it down into his heart. He stabbed him over and over again until he was drenched in his father's blood. He stared down at his dead father, feeling completed and happy. He walked out of the room, went to take a shower, threw the knife away and went to bed. Draco opened his eyes to see the Great Hall and Pansy still around his neck. He looked at her.

"Yeah. It's true. Someone came and killed him in his sleep. Grateful they didn't come after me."

She nodded and leaned her head on his shoulder. The minute he felt her head on him, he got up and walked out of the Great Hall, with Pansy calling after him. He kept walking till he reached the owlery. He stopped short of opening it. He heard crying and someone talking to someone. Then he heard a hoot. They were talking to their owl. He leaned outside the door, listening.

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Hermione leaned against the wall of the owlery, clutching her letter in her hand. Her head was buried into her knees. Why? Why was it always her? She cried so hard her head hurt and she couldn't breathe. Lotti flew down next to her and nipped her fingers, asking for the letter to send. She looked up at her owl. She wiped her eyes.

"Why do they hate me so much? Why can't they understand me? No one understands me anymore. I don't know what happened."

She cried more, hugging her knees to her chest tighter. Lotti hooted again. She looked up at her and smiled. She looked at her letter in her hands.

"Yeah. I guess one person understands. I'm glad too. Do you know who it is?"

Lotti nodded. Hermione gave her the letter and Lotti flew off. She sighed and laid her head back on her knees, waiting for Lotti to get back soon and praying Ron or Harry didn't find her here.

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Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far!!! Please keep reading and reviewing!!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing but what I make up myself.  
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Draco looked inside the owlery after he heard an owl fly away. He saw Hermione sitting there against the wall, crying. He could see her shoulders shaking and her body shivering from the slight cold. He walked in the owlery. She didn't look up. She didn't seem to notice anything at the moment. She looked so alone. His heart went out to her. He was alone as well. After his father's death, his mother decided that it was no use to come back home. So he was alone in his life as well. He watched Hermione for a while before taking off his cloak, covering her in it. She looked up then, seeing him. She looked at the cloak then back at him. Her face hardened. She threw the cloak back at him.

"What do you want Malfoy?"

He sighed. He picked up his cloak, putting it over his arm.

"I just thought you were cold and wanted to give you my cloak so you wouldn't be."

She blinked at him, a confused look coming over her face.

"Why? Why do you care if I'm cold? I'm just a filthy mudblood, remember? Wouldn't you rather me freeze to death?"

Tears filled her eyes as she said this. He knew to keep quiet because he could tell there was more to come. There was.

"Wouldn't it do the world some good if I were gone? Ron and Harry seem to think so since I'm no good to them if I'm not helping them with their homework."

She took a deep breath and started crying again. She buried her face in her knees again, her shoulders shaking and shivering all over again. He took his cloak, wrapping her in it again. She leaned into him, laying her head on his chest some. He wrapped his arms around her, his cloak over her. He put a cheek on her head, rubbing against her hair. A tear fell from his eyes. He shared her pain of loneliness. He closed his eyes and rocked her back and forth gently. As he rocked her to sleep, he started crying himself until he too fell asleep.

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Hermione woke up to warm arms and someone's cheek on her head. She moved her head some, moving their head away from hers. She looked up and saw Draco, asleep. The way the sun was hitting him, he looked like something from God. She took a deep breath, letting it out slow. He didn't seem so bad. After all, he listened to her when no one else would. And he didn't make fun of her either. He could be her new best friend. She let out a small laugh. Yeah, right. A friend. She hadn't had one of those in a while. She looked back at Draco and fingered the cloak around her. She looked at the seal. Slytherin. She looked back up at Draco, wonderment and amazement plain on her face. He gave her his cloak when she was cold and crying. And he sat here with her while she slept. For whatever reason, she didn't know. She was just glad that someone actually took the time to care about her, even if it was for a moment. She looked at him closer, noticing something on his face. As she looked closer, she saw tear stains on his cheek. She frowned some, putting a hand on his cheek gently. He rubbed his face into her hand as he slept. She smiled at him, rubbing his cheek with her thumb. His eyes fluttered some then opened, his eyes unfocused. He blinked his eyes open again and looked around him. He looked down at her and smiled a bit. He looked down at his watch. He blinked again and looked at it again.

"Holy Hell..It's 5:30 in the afternoon. People will be wondering where you are, Granger."

She dropped her hand and looked at him.

"You too, Malfoy. You're about as popular as I am anyways."

He sighed and rubbed his face. He looked back at her.

"The only one that would be looking for me would be Pansy, and I would rather her not find me anyways."

She arched a brow. She always thought those two were together, but she guessed not. She got up and stretched. She looked around for Lotti, but found her still gone. She sighed and looked at Malfoy. She offered him a hand up. He took it, getting up. She dusted herself off and turned towards the door. Something touched her hand. She turned and saw Malfoy touching her hand with his fingertips. She looked at his fingers and then back up to his face. He grabbed her hand in his. His hand was so warm. He pulled her back gently to him. He ran a hand down her cheek.

"Why do you cry?"

She swallowed some. She knew why she cried, but she didn't really want to explain it to him. She bit her lip some. But he did stay with her in the owlery and listened to what she had to say and held her while she slept. She looked down at her feet.

"Because I feel that no one cares about me anymore. Because I have no friends. Because my parents have kicked me out on the streets with no where to go."

She looked back at him.

"Why do you cry?"

He opened his mouth. She expected him to make up some excuse of some kind or saying that Malfoy's don't cry or something stupid like that. She didn't expect him to tell the truth.

"I cry because I..my father died this past summer. My mother doesn't even know I really exist. Pretty much, I'm like you. No one cares and I'm left alone a lot without someone to hold me while I cry."

She put her head against his chest, hearing his heartbeat. There was something comforting about that, knowing that he also had a heart and knew that it also beat like everyone elses. She sighed again softly. She whispered softly, mostly to herself.

"I'll hold you when you cry."

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He looked surprised. He heard what she had whispered and was shocked. No one ever said that they'd hold him period, whether he was crying or not. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. He laid his cheek on the top of her head. She pulled back some, looking up at him. His head came towards hers, his lips almost touching hers. His lips almost covered hers when she suddenly turned away from him. He pulled back from her.

"We can't do this. I'm sorry. As much as I want to, we can't. I'm so sorry."

She pulled back from him, taking her hand back. He grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. He kissed her as deeply as he could, not caring if it was right or not. At first she didn't kiss him back, but eventually, she kissed him back. Their mouths worked at each other, as if trying to eat one another. She ran her hands up his neck and into his hair. His hands ran down her sides and wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him. She pulled back suddenly, walking out of the owlery, leaving him standing there. He touched his lips, smiling a bit. He heard a hoot behind him. He turned to see the same owl, looking at him funny. It had another letter in its beak. He took it, reading it. He sighed and leaned against the wall. He held it against his chest and looked at the owl again.

"You know where my room is. Just go there. I'll be up there in a minute, writing her back."

He walked out of the owlery in a rush, not wanting anyone to know what he had and questioning him. He heard his name a few times, but ignored them. Suddenly, someone pulled him by his arm, from behind. He looked behind him and saw Harry. He looked at the hand at his arm. He shook it off. He looked at him.

"What do you want? As you can see, I'm in a bit of a hurry."

Ron came out from behind Harry.

"We want you to leave Hermione alone."

Draco looked shocked.

"What do you mean?"

Harry glared at him, blue eyes gleaming with hatred.

"We saw you both walk out of the owlery. Her face was red and she looked a bit upset. We know you said something to her, so leave her alone."

Draco laughed. He sighed and looked at them.

"For your information, though it's really none of your business, but me and her were talking. I walked in on her crying and she talked to me for a while and I her. I didn't say anything to make her upset. She was already upset. Now, if you will both excuse me, I need to write this person back. It is quite urgent."

He turned and started to walk away. Harry called out to him.

"If you come near her again, you will pay Malfoy."

He turned and looked at him, an amused look on his face.

"And you'll do what? Hex me? Hermione won't be too happy about that, seeing as I'm her only friend right now, since her old, backstabbing ones don't seem to love her anymore now that she's no use to them anymore."

He started to walk away, but then turned again.

"By the way, nice slap mark on your cheek Potter."

He walked away, leaving a very confused Harry and a very upset Ron behind him.

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Hermione watched the fight from behind a corner. She smiled to herself as she heard what Draco had said. She walked back to her common room, waiting for Lotti to return with a reply from her friend.

_Tap Tap Tap_

She looked to the window, seeing her owl. She ran to the window, opening it for her. Her owl flew in and landed on the back of one of the chairs. She had a letter in her beak for her. Hermione went to her owl and stroked her head. Lotti gave her the letter, nipped her lovingly on her cheek and flew out of the window, back to the owlery. Hermione looked around, seeing everyone who was in the Common Room was looking at her, wondering who the letter was from. She walked up to her room, holding the letter close to her. As she was walking up the stairs, Harry and Ron just happened to come in and see her holding a letter. Ron ran up to her and leaned against the wall, looking at the letter.

"Who's the letter from?"

Harry came up beside him, his blue eyes on the letter than her.

"Yeah, who? We saw Malfoy carrying a letter when he was rushing back to his common room. Is it the same letter?"

He made an attempt to take the letter, but she backed up to where he didn't touch her.

"Of course it's not from him. I would know if it was from him. He would've told me. And anyways, it's not any of your business who my letter comes from or what they are in the first place. Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to my room to readMY letter."

She turned and started to walk away. She felt someone grab her arm and backhanded whoever it was. It was Ron. He looked shocked and let her arm go. She giggled some.

"Now you and Harry match."

She walked off and up to her room, locking her door just in case. She sat on her bed and started to read her letter. It read:

_Dearest one,_

_I know I don't know you, but I feel I know you enough to trust you with this big secret that I've been hiding from everyone. I..I killed my father this summer. I didn't want to have to deal with him any longer and I just felt that the only way to be rid of him was to kill him and I did. No one knows this but you. I wish that you would keep this secret for me and not tell anyone. This is my most trusted secret and I know that you, of all people, will keep it for me. You must not show this to anyone and when you get done reading this, you should burn it or destroy it any way you can. Please write me back as soon as possible. I know that you go to Hogwarts. Only because I watched your owl fly away into the night sky. She is truly a beautiful creature, as you must be. I hope your problems are worked out as best as they are. I know mine are not. I do wish to meet you, but that will have to be on your time I suppose. I guess you're wondering about my mother. No, she is not dead. As I said in my previous letter to you, she is never home to care for me. So I learned at a young age to take care of myself. I don't like to see my mother anyways. Now that I think about it, I am glad that my father is gone. I have no guilt about him whatsoever. Now I am able to show my emotions in a way I was never able to before. I did not wish to be a cold person, like my father. I wanted to live a normal life out among some friends that I wanted to make on my own. And now, this year, I am able to. I know you are wondering who this is, as I am wondering who you are. But I will not give a name until you are ready to give yours. Just as I am waiting for you to want to meet me. I am most anxious to meet the person who knows my feelings, as I know theirs. I must be going now, as we both have dinner to attend to in the Great Hall. You can look for me if you like. You can even take a guess at who I am. But I promise, you will probably never find out. As for me, I will look and I will guess and please do tell me if I'm right or wrong so that I may know who not to pay attention to. _

_Sincerely yours,_

_A Hogwarts Friend_

She put the letter down. She sat on her bed, thinking. He killed his own father? But from reading it, she could see why. She jumped up from her bed and started writing him back. Before picking up her quill, she turned and destroyed the letter, as she was told to. She turned back to the blank parchment and started writing again. She wrote:

**Hogwarts Friend,**

**I can see why you would do such a thing and you can trust in me to keep your secret. I have destroyed the letter, as you asked. I do want to meet you, but I don't think that now is the right time, since I am going through a rough time of it. My so-called friends keep bothering me and one of these days, I'm going to hex them into obivion. I don't care if I get expelled. Then I won't be bothered by them anymore. But then, I'd have no where to go. I have no home now, as you read in my first letter to you. So, I'm going to talk to Dumbledore about my problem and hopefully have somewhere to stay for the summer. I will not stay with my friends. I'd rather be on the streets. I know that's not a good idea, but you know why I don't want to stay with my old friends. If it was a choice between them and the streets, I'd choose the streets. But I'd rather have somewhere to stay. I will talk to Dumbledore about it. I'm staying here for the Christmas holidays. Are you? I hope so, so that I can have someone to talk to over the holidays. Even if you weren't here, my owl will be able to find you. My owl is beautiful. Her name is Lotti, so you know now what you can call her. I don't know if I am beautiful. I have changed since last year. So, I don't know yet. I hate to cut this short, but as you said, we have dinner to attend to. I will look for you and I will ask you if you are someone. I will answer you if you answer me. So, it'll be fair for both of us. Hope to hear from you soon.**

**Love Always,**

**Dearest One**

She folded it up neat and walked out of her room, letter clutched in her hand. She glared at the new trio in the corner; Harry, Ron and Ginny. She walked out as she heard Harry call out her name. She walked faster and went up to the owlery. She gave her letter to Lotti, ran and opened the window, letting her out. The trio came in at about the time her owl left. She looked at them.

"Can I help you in any way?"

Harry walked up to her, holding both her shoulders gently. She looked at his hands and walked backwards to where he wasn't touching her anymore. She looked at him, her face showing no emotion.

"What do you want? I'm hungry and I would like to go to dinner."

Harry looked down at her, the red mark on his face was plain as day on his white skin. She looked at Ron and saw the same thing on him. She smiled a bit and looked at Harry again. Harry, like her, showed no emotion in his blue eyes.

"I have a present from me and Ron."

She blinked at him.

"What?"

He slapped her. It caught her by surprise. She just stood there and held the left side of her face. She looked up at Harry and fire grew in her eyes. He slapped her again, on her right side. She expected it and didn't flinch. She blinked up at him.

"Satisfied?"

Harry looked down at her, blinked, nodded and walked out. Ron and Ginny behind him. She saw Ginny hesitate, then continue walking. She heard the door click and blinked again. A tear fell down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and went down to the Great Hall, keeping her head down and her hair covering her face.

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Once again..Thanks!! Please review!!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but those I make up!

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Draco watched Hermione enter the Great Hall, her head down and her lovely chocolate brown hair covering her beautiful face. At least, he always thought she was beautiful. He watched as she sat by herself at the Griffindor table, not really eating but just picking at her food. He looked over at Harry and Ron, seeing Ron's sister sitting with them. He watched them for a while. Harry and Ron would look at Hermione and smirk some. They would laugh, look at her again and laugh some more, Ron laughing the hardest of the two. Ginny just picked at her food. He decided to be unusual and go see what was wrong with her. He got up from his table, leaving all the people who were originally talking to him behind. He walked towards the Griffindor table, glances and whispers directed in his direction. He sat down beside Hermione, touching her back gently. She flinched and leaned over more into her plate. He knew now something was wrong.

"Hermione?"

She froze.

"Draco?"

He rubbed her back in reassurance.

"Yeah, it's me. What's wrong? Why don't you eat?"

She looked up at him, her eyes red as well as her face, but as he looked closer her face wasn't red from crying. He touched her face gently. She flinched when he did. Someone hit her. He examined her closely. Twice. He put his hand over one side of her face. A hand slightly smaller than his. (A/N: You know the old saying about people who have big hands...they wear big gloves..hehehe..) He knew only one hand size like that. He looked at the trio. They were looking at him and whispering amongst themselves. Harry got up and made his way towards them. Hermione looked in the direction he was looking and saw Harry coming towards them. She scooted closer to him and hid her face in his robes, crying all over again, whimpering softly. After a few seconds of that, he could hear her whispering. He leaned over her while watching Harry. She was whispering into his robes,

"Please..Please..Don't let him hurt me again...Please.."

She whispered that over and over again. Harry was almost to them. He watched the emotion in his blue eyes and when he looked at Hermione pressed to him, his questions answered. He knew who hit her now. Harry looked down at them. He glared at Malfoy.

"I don't think you belong at the table. Besides, Hermione doesn't want to be touched by the likes of you. Isn't that right Hermione?"

He looked at her, smiling a bit. It would seem though that she got her nerve back when he walked up to them. She looked up at Harry, a blank face set in place.

"I think he belongs just fine here. And I don't mind being touched by him. At least he doesn't hit me. Isn't that right, Harry?"

She let rage fill her eyes, though her face was set in careful blank lines. Harry's smile faded from his face as Draco started to have one. Harry leaned on the table.

"It'll happen soon enough. He is a Malfoy after all and all he knows is pain."

Draco's jaw tightened. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his knee, patting it gently. He glanced at Hermione, who was watching Harry with still a blank face.

"Apparently, Harry, so do you. But you see, Draco has an actual heart. Something you lack. Something you will always lack. You and Ron both. Ginny has no heart. She lost it with her virginity. Isn't that right Harry?"

Harry's fists tightened on the table.

"You know nothing of Ginny. You don't know her, so you have no right to talk about her."

Draco smirked.

"Apparently, she does know her. Well, enough to know what she does and with who."

Harry glared at Draco.

"You stay out of this. This does not concern you. Only Hermione and me."

Hermione leaned closer to Draco, trying to hide herself some. Draco laid a hand on her head, stroking her hair.

"Well, it does concern me. Because you see, you don't hit a woman. Not while I'm here. And from the looks of the handprints on her face, you're the one who hit her. So, you see Potter, it does concern me because it just so happens that Hermione is a woman, in every way possible, unlike the Weasel girl over there. And also, Hermione is one of my friends. And you don't hit my friends. Not while I'm here."

Draco stood up, facing Harry.

"So I believe that now would be a good time for me to give you a good beating because one, you hit a woman, which was uncalled for. And two, because you hit one of my friends. And three, she didn't deserve to get hit. You and Weasel boy over there, however, deserved it. But you see, you're not worth my time."

He looked down at Hermione, then back up at Harry, who was fuming and speechless.

"Come, Hermione. Let's go walk around the grounds for a bit while Potty and Weasel twins over there think about what I just said."

He held his hand out to her. She looked at his hand, then back up at Harry. She gave Harry a dirty look, then took Draco's hand. He helped her up, leading her by the hand out of the Great Hall.

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Snape watched the two walk out of the Great Hall and then watched Harry walk back to his original seat. He smirked some. He had heard some of what had happened. And by the looks of it, so did most of the Great Hall. Snape got up from his seat, deciding to follow the two who just left and see what had happened. He walked the halls until he heard someone crying. A girl. And another voice, comforting her. A boy. As he drew near, he heard it was Draco and Hermione. He looked around the corner and saw Hermione looking out the window, crying softly. He saw Draco next to her, rubbing her back, comforting her. He walked around the corner and cleared his throat. Both students jumped and turned. Hermione was wiping her face, trying to hide it as well. Draco stood tall, but was halfway in front of her. Draco was the first to speak up.

"Yes, Professor?"

Snape looked at them, first at Draco, then Hermione. His eyes stayed on her.

"What's going on here?"

Draco opened his mouth to answer, but Snape held his hand up.

"No. I want to hear it from Ms. Granger."

Hermione looked up, surprised. She swallowed and took a step forward.

"Um..Draco here was comforting me. I was upset about something, but I'm quite alright now, Professor."

Snape continued to look at her.

"Would it be about something that had happened now in the Great Hall?"

She looked up at him, her hair still hiding her face.

"Um..Yes, sir."

Snape leaned his head some, examining her.

"Let me see your face, Ms. Granger."

Draco stepped up.

"Professor--"

Snape cut him off with a look and his hand. Draco looked at Hermione, nodding. Hermione took a deep breath and moved her hair from her face, revealing that the redness had gotten worse. It had turned into a deep maroon color, showing that some bruising had been done as well. Snape took a step closer, touching her chin, moving it from side to side so he could see all that was done to her. He stepped back, looking at Draco.

"Potter did this?"

Draco look surprised. So did Hermione.

"How did you know?"

Snape looked at them both.

"I was in the Great Hall. And I heard everything."

Hermione looked down and turned her head.

"Come into my office. Now. Both of you."

Hermione looked at Draco, who shrugged. They both followed him down to the dungeons, where his office was. He ushered them in and closed his door, hurriedly. They both stood there, in front of the door. Snape conjured up two chairs in front of his desk. He went to Hermione and somewhat pushed her into one of the chairs. He went to his cabinets and began searching for something. He smiled as he finally found it. He turned to see that Draco had moved from the door to beside her, still checking her face. He sat the vial on his desk and grabbed a few cotton balls from one of the shelves. He sat down in the other chair, facing Hermione. She looked at him and looked down. Snape took his wand out and waved it, making her hair into a bun and out of her face so he could see the markings on her face. Hermione looked surprised, as did Draco. He turned and grabbed the vial from his desk and the cottonballs. Hermione licked her lips before opening her mouth.

"Um..Professor?"

Snape looked at her as he was wetting the cottonball with the liquid from the vial.

"Yes, Ms. Granger?"

She looked up at Draco, then back at Snape.

"May I ask what you're doing?"

Snape nodded. He held up the vial.

"This is something that will take care of those red handprints on your face."

She nodded and decided to stay quiet. Snape started to dap her face with the cottonballs that were covered with the liquid. She winced every now and again, seeing as it stung where he dabbed the bruises. Soon, he was done and her face free of the handprints and flawless once more. He held up a mirror to show her and she looked shocked.

"Thank you, Professor. But..May I ask why you would do that for me? As far as I understand, you don't really like me all that much."

Snape nodded and stood, putting the vial back where it was and threw away the cottonballs.

"I had been waiting for you or Draco to ask that. I healed you because I heard what had happened when you, Draco and Harry were arguing. I knew that he had hit you and that Mr. and Ms. Weasley had something to do with it. I also saw Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley's face when they entered the Great Hall this morning. I feel you have a good reason for hitting them, Ms. Granger?"

Snape looked at her. She nodded. Snape sat back down, but behind his desk and motioned Draco to sit in the empty seat beside Hermione. He sat. Snape looked at Hermione. She drew a deep breath.

"Harry was in the common room when I had come in from the owlery. I had fallen asleep there and had come back. He questioned me where I was and I told him it was none of his business where I was. We got into an argument and had said something I didn't like. So I smacked him. And with Ron--"

"What did he say that made you hit him, Ms. Granger?"

She licked her lips again.

"I told him that I was sending a letter to someone who actually cared about me and my problems.."

Draco went still.

"And he said that he didn't see how anyone could care about me. And that's when I hit him."

Snape nodded.

"And what about Mr. Weasley?"

"They were questioning me about a letter I received last night. My owl gave it to me through the common room window. I was going up to my room when they stopped me. I told them it was not their concern what my letters are and who the come from. I turned and Ron had grabbed my arm and I turned and backhanded him."

Snape nodded again. She looked out the window, then back at Snape.

"Professor, I need to speak with Dumbledore. I have no where to go for summer holidays, seeing as my parents have kicked me out."

Draco thought some. The girl..She had no where to stay either. Her parents had kicked her out. She needed to speak with Dumbledore about somewhere to stay during the holidays. Her so-called friends were bothering her. Then it dawned on him and he got up, knocking the chair over and left, leaving the door open. Hermione looked back at him, confused. Snape got up, looking at Hermione.

"Come, Ms. Granger. We will go see the Headmaster now."

She looked back at Snape and nodded.

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Draco walked towards the common room. How could he've been so stupid? She was right there in front of him the entire time and he didn't even know it. What was he going to do now? He walked into the common room.

"Draco!! Oh my goodness! Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

He sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them, Pansy stood in front of him. She smiled at him, which was her version of a seductive smile. He curled his lip some, trying to get past her. She pushed him back into a wall, pinning him. He looked down at her, frowning.

"What do you want Pansy? I'm not in the mood."

She snuck her hand down towards his pants.

"I can make you in the mood."

She smiled up at him again. He smacked her hand away and looked at her.

"I don't like you. I've never liked you. Now, if you don't mind, I need to go to my room. There's something I need to do."

He pushed past her, making her stumble back. He walked to his room, slaming the door behind him. He jumped on his bed, grabbing his pillow. He tucked it under his head, staring at the wall. What was he going to do? Would he tell her? He shook his head. Not yet. He wouldn't tell her just yet. He jumped back up, looking through his letters. He found the first one that was sent to him. He read it again. Now that he looked at it, it did look like Hermione's handwriting. He sighed, and sat down at his desk, looking at the letter. After a while, a thought struck him. He quickly grabbed his quill and parchment. He dipped his quill into his ink bottle, writing fast. He folded it, put it in an envelope and sealed it. He ran down from his room, with Pansy calling after him. He ran out the common room, and ran for the owlery. He skid to a stop as he reached the owlery and opened the door, rushing inside. He looked around for an owl. He found Lotti sitting on her bench, looking at him funny. She flew down from where she was and landed on the windowsill. Draco walked to the window, following Lotti. He opened the window and gave her the letter. He leaned towards her, whispering to her.

"Give this to Dumbledore for me, please."

Lotti nodded, nipped him affectionately on his cheek and flew off.

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I know you guy's probably get tired of hearing me say it...But thank you for reading!! Please, please, PLEASE review!! Thanks :)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing except what I make up!

Author's Note: I believe I have the right to say that if you don't like my story..That's fine...But don't use profanity or tell me that people like me should die. I don't appreciate it at all. If you don't like my story from the start...Quit reading it. I'm not making you read it nor is anyone else. So, please guys...I do like criticism, but I do not like profanity. Thanks and hope that the rest of you enjoy!!

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Hermione walked with Snape down the corridors. She couldn't understand why Draco would run out like he did. She sighed. Snape looked down at her, a look on his face that no one would have ever thought he could make for Hermione. Concern. Concern for her. He blinked and looked forward. After a while, they stopped in front of the gargoyle.

"Jellybeans."

The gargoyle jumped aside, letting them in. Hermione looked up, looking around her. The office was very nice. Bookshelves were covered with books. Portraits hung between the bookshelves, moving around and talking to one another. She saw a bright orange and red bird, sitting on a bench. She knew by looking that it was a phoenix. She saw a desk in the middle of the room, and behind it was the old man she had seen time and again over the years. Professor Dumbledore sat behind his desk, looking at them behind his half-moon glasses. He looked up at Snape.

"Thank you, Severus. I will take it from here."

Snape nodded, patted her shoulder and left. Professor Dumblebore smiled at Hermione. He motioned to a chair.

"Please, have a seat."

She sat in one of the chairs, awkwardly. She had never been in the Headmaster's office. Not for any reason. Professor Dumbledore looked at a letter on his desk.

"It has come to my attention that some things have happened over the summer and during the school year. The Christmas holidays are coming soon and you are without a place to go. I would say that you could stay here but--"

Hermione jumped up.

"Why can't I stay here? Are you going to kick me out? Why can't I stay?!"

Dumbledore put his hand up to quiet her. She closed her mouth, but her mind kept questioning 'Why?'

"It has also come to my attention that a certain young man has offered to give you a place to stay until you find somewhere else to go."

She paused a moment, then spoke.

"I refuse to stay with either Ron or Harry."

Dumbledore smile a bit, a twinkle in his eye.

"I am aware of the situation between you, Ron, and Harry, as well as Ginny. But it is not any of them."

Hermione sat back down.

"Well, who will I be staying with for the holidays?"

Dumbledore clasped his hands together, leaning on his desk some.

"Professor Snape."

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Draco smiled. He was staying with Professor Snape since his father had died. He figured it was a good idea for her to stay too. He leaned on the windowsill. He looked at the sky and saw something black flying towards the castle. As it flew closer, he reconized it as an owl. His father's owl. Fear rushed through his body like ice, down to his toes. He backed up, letting the owl come into his room. The owl had a letter in its beak. He looked at the letter. It was his mother's handwriting. He let a breath out he didn't know it was holding. He took the letter, but the owl stayed. He looked at the owl oddly, but paid it no mind. He opened the letter, wondering what his mother would be writing to him about.

Dearest Draco,

You probably already know about your father being dead. In my opinion, good riddance. And now that I've come home, you will be too. Well, for the holidays. There will be no need for you to stay with Severus. Also, I am redecorating the house, since it reminds me so much of your father. Do not worry. I will not go in your room. I will leave that to you. I have already sent word to Professor Dumbledore and Severus that will be coming back to the Manor. I hope to see you soon, Son.

Love Always,

Your Mother, Narcissa

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I think this is the shortest chapter in the story (besides Chapter 4)..I know it's short, but I promise that the rest of the chapters will become longer..Thanks for reading!! Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing except what I make up in my big head!!

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Hermione stood outside Dumbledore's office, in front of the statue. She replayed the last few minutes in her head. She was saying with Professor Snape, the one teacher who once hated her and now seemed to have a change of heart. Same thing could be said of Draco. His eyes didn't hold the cold silver that they used to. And this confused her. She sighed. She started to walk towards the common room, watching her feet as she walked, the way she always did when she didn't want to make eye contact with anyone. She got close to the portrait when she heard voices. Upset voices.

"I just want to speak with Hermione. Is that too much to ask?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you in unless you know the password."

Hermione turned the corner and saw Draco arguing with the Fat Lady. Hermione kindly cleared her throat. They both stopped arguing and looked at her. The Fat Lady smiled.

"There is the princess you seek. Now, if you please.."

She walked out of her portrait to visit the witch next to her. Hermione just looked at Draco.

"You know, you could get into serious trouble if you're found here, looking for me.."

Draco smiled.

"You'd let them hurt me? I think not.."

Hermione sighed. No, she wouldn't let them hurt him. She'd protect him like she used to protect Ron and Harry...Ron and Harry. Memories crashed into her like a freight train and she fell to her knees, crying. Draco knelt in front of her, putting a hesitant hand on her shoulder. She leaned into him, crying into his chest. He hugged her to him, rubbing her back for comfort...Footsteps. He heard footsteps..and not far away either. His head shot up, listening. Harry rounded the corner, looking smug and content. Harry, who looked like he had a good time with someone, stopped when he saw the two on the ground. His green eyes going from surprise to anger.

"What did you do to her, Malfoy?"

Hermione's head shot up so quickly, Draco was lucky his head wasn't over hers anymore or else he would've bitten his own tongue from the impact. She looked at Harry, then Draco. She got up, pulling Draco with her. By the time she got to her feet, Harry had his wand out and halfway pointed at Draco. Hermione saw this and put Draco behind her, making sure that if Harry tried to hit him, he'd have to hit her first.

"He did nothing to me. He was comforting me...You know, something you and Ron used to do for me when I was upset? But oh, wait..You don't care anymore, so it doesn't really matter. Put your wand down, Harry..please."

Harry lowered his wand, but didn't put it up. He muttered something under his breath while looking at the floor. He looked up, his blue eyes red and his face wet with tears. Hermione stared for a moment. Something told her to go comfort Harry..that he needed to be comforted by her. She started to walk towards him, but felt someone's hand on her arm. She looked back and saw Draco holding her arm. Draco was looking at Harry funny. He looked at Hermione and shook his head. She looked back at Harry, who had his arms out, wanting to be comforted. She started to take a step to him, but a shake on her arm made her look back at Draco.

"He needs me. He needs me to comfort him, can't you see?"

Draco took the extra steps to her and put both hands on her arms.

"It's a spell of sadness and illusion. Can't you see it?"

He turned her to look at him. She looked at Harry, and concentrated on seeing it. Sure enough, she saw it. Draco pulled his wand out from behind him. He muttered a spell and Harry flew into the wall. He hit the floor with a loud THUD! Voices inside the common room were heard now. Draco pulled Hermione towards the hallway, but she couldn't stop staring at Harry, who was moving around. Draco pulled her hard and she took off in a run, Draco right behind her. She ran down one hallway, then another. She was thinking hard, hoping to find a room of some kind. She saw one and skidded to a stop, grabbing Draco and yanking him inside. She shut the door, locking it. She couldn't see a thing, but she heard Draco breathing heavily. Draco was bending over, his hands on his knees, trying to breathe. He pulled something out of his robes and put it in his mouth. Hermione's eyes, which were closed so she could breathe, shot open as she heard the all too familiar sound of an inhaler, which one of her Muggle friends used back home. She felt around for a light switch and found it on her left side. She switched it on, just in time to see him put something back into his robes. She looked at him.

"Do you have asthma?"

He looked up at her, a confused look on his face.

"Do I have what?"

"Asthma."

"What's asthma?"

"It's a chronic disorder charcterized by recurrent breathing difficulty and bronchial spasms.."

He looked even more confused.

"Say that in English, please?"

She sighed in frustration.

"It's when you have problems breathing and need an inhaler to help you out."

"Uhh..I suppose so. Why do you ask?"

"I heard your inhaler."

Draco pulled out his inhaler.

"This thing?"

"Yes."

"It's called an inhaler?"

"What did you think it was called?"

"I just called it my breathing thingy.."

"It's called an inhaler.."

"Whatever you say.."

"I'm serious! That's what it is! A Muggle friend of mine has asthma and uses her inhaler every now and again."

"So..This is a Muggle thing?"

"Didn't you know that?"

Draco shook his head.

"My mother got this for me since I was little. She said it would help me breathe better, and I didn't question her."

"Riight. Anyways, on to a more serious conversation. Why did you blast Harry like that? Not that he didn't deserve it or anything.."

Draco looked around for somewhere to sit. Hermione watched him find a chair and sit in it. He put his inhaler back into his robes and looked at her. She had her eyebrow arched some, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"What?"

She shook her head.

"Answer my question."

Draco sighed, leaning on his knees again with his arms.

"Because he resorted to magic to try to win you back, and that's wrong. He should've tried to talk to you, explain how he felt and listened to you on how you felt about all this, not use magic to manipulate you into being his friend again.."

Hermione stood there, still against the wall, taking in what he said. She never thought of it that way. She never thought that Harry, of all people, would try to use magic to get back in her good graces. Ron, maybe, but not Harry. She lowered herself down to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest, as she did many times before, as if she could curl in a ball and hide in the darkness, away from everyone. Draco looked around the room once more. It seemed like any other empty room, except for the table and chairs in the corner. Draco stood, putting the chair back where he found it, and walked back to her. He knelt in front of her, putting a hand on her cheek. He hissed in a breath as he felt her cold to the touch. She blinked, not really seeing all that was in front of her. She was in shock and felt betrayed all over again. She felt something warm on her face and Draco's face came into focus. She blinked and saw that it was his hand on her face. She leaned into him, putting her cold cheek on his warm one. He took his cloak off and put it around her, holding her close.

"You're cold to the touch."

She nodded, her head rested against his shoulder. He pulled back, conjured a pillow for both of them and a big blanket. He laid down, patting a spot beside him. She laid down where he patted, holding the cloak around her. She tensed as he wrapped an arm around her stomach, pulling her to him, trying to keep her warm. He pulled the blanket over them both, more on her so she'd be warm. She started to relax slowly as she started to slowly fall asleep. She shifted so that her head rested on his chest and fell asleep. Draco combed his hand through her hair. He sighed contently, slowing falling asleep. He kissed the top of her head, whispering softly.

"Je t'aime, Hermione."

And he fell asleep...Hermione was still half-awake when he muttered something French. 'I shouldn't have dropped French back home.' she thought. She fell asleep, still thinking about what he whispered and knew that she had heard it somewhere before, from someone else...

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Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing!!! Please leave more!! Chapter 9 coming soon!!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter...No matter how much I wish upon a shooting star...

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_Hermione's dream..._

Hermione stood over the edge of a cliff. She looked out onto the land beyond. She watched the sun set, as the colors spread over the sky above her. As she watched the sunset, someone seemed to be walking to the edge across from her. As she looked closer, it seemed to be a boy. She couldn't see him from the shadows covering him, but she could tell he was about her age and her height. A bit taller than her, he had more of a built to him than she had on her. He held his hand out to her from across the edge. She blinked. Was he serious? She looked down at the abyss below her and then looked back at him. He still had his hand held out. Holding one hand to her heart, she hesitantly held the other out, trying to reach the other boy's hand. Suddenly, from behind her, hands grabbed her from her waist, pulling her away from the boy. She looked back and saw Harry and Ginny, pulling her away from the boy. She looked back and saw Draco, fighting with someone she couldn't see.

"Draco!!!!"

Draco looked back at Hermione, then fell, being hit with a spell. She screamed. She started pushing at the hands that pulled her from him.

"NO!!!!! Let me go!!!"

She started crying. She pushed more at the hands pulling her away. She reached a hand out to Draco.

"Draco!!!"

He was swarmed with people she couldn't see clearly. She screamed for him again and again, but she never saw his face again.

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Draco woke to someone screaming. Wand at the ready, he looked for the person screaming.

"Draco! No!!"

He looked over at Hermione, who looked like someone was killing her or something. He put his wand down on the nightstand beside his bed. He put a hand on her forehead and closed his eyes. A soft glow came from his hand and she calmed down a bit. She still whimpered and thrashed around, but at least she wasn't screaming. He sighed and sat back. He watched her sleep, seeing that she sweated all on her pillow. He blinked and leaned in close to her. It wasn't sweat. It was tears. She was crying. He laid down beside her and stroked her hair, wiping the tears from her face. He whispered in her ear and she soon seemed to calm down a lot more. As she went to sleep, he soon become more sleepy and fell asleep with his arms around her.

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As she watched people surround him, everything started to go black. The hands around her waist seemed to disappear and so did everyone else, including Draco. She stood alone in the dark, her arms wrapped around herself, and she cried. She collapsed to the ground and cried her heart out..Just like she did that night her parents threw her out.

"Hermione.."

She looked up at the call of her name. She looked around and saw no one there.

"Hermione.."

She looked around again.

"I will never leave you..I love you.."

She recognized the voice as Draco's as he said that he loved her. She felt her body go calm as she soon fell asleep, knowing that Draco was there and that he'd never leave her..No matter what happened..

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Draco woke to someone banging on his door. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his face. He looked back at Hermione and watched the sunrise hit her sleeping form. She looked like a sleeping angel. He sighed as the door banged again. He pulled the curtains that surrounded his bed so that no one from the door could see her. He opened the door and saw his professor looking at him. Professor Snape looked at him. Draco arched his eyebrow as he saw his professor in just his robe. Professor Snape looked behind him at his bed.

"So, she's here?"

Draco just looked at him, in shock. Draco opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He closed his mouth and nodded. Snape nodded.

"Good. Keep her here for now. They're looking for her and have been relentless. They believe that you've done something with her and are trying to get in here as we speak."

Draco frowned.

"What do you want me to do?"

Snape just shook his head.

"Do nothing for now, but if she must leave today, make sure no one sees her come from here. I don't want Dumbledore saying anything, though I don't think he will."

Draco nodded. He looked back at the bed. Snape put a hand on his shoulder. Draco looked back at him.

"Take care of her for me please."

And with that, Snape left. Draco blinked. ' Take care of her for me? What in Merlin's name..?' Draco shook his head of any thoughts and walked out of his room. He closed the door behind him to make sure no one looked in. He went to the bathroom in the common room and got himself a drink of water. He walked out and saw Snape looking at a picture he pulled out of his robe. He watched him look at it for a while. His face went from confused to shock once again as he saw his professor touch the picture, then wipe away a tear from his face. He made no noise as his professor put the picture back in his robe and walk out of the common room. He heard someone's voice raised, then he heard Snape's threatening voice, and then no more voices. He walked back into his room, closed the door and watched Hermione from where he stood by the doorway...

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Since this was such a short chapter, I decided to go ahead and give you chapter 10 too!! Aren't I generous? Now, for those who have many questions about how they ended up in Draco's room...In the middle of the night, Draco carried her to his common room, when he knew that no one would be awake and wouldn't question him about why he was carrying Hermione into the Slytherin common room...Clear things up? I didn't want to put it in the story, cause I didn't know how exactly to do it, so I just let them end up there...Anyways..Review please!!!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter...I would still write fanfics... :-)...But, sadly...I don't :-(

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Green and silver. That's what Hermione woke up to. She sat up and looked around. A canopy bed with silver lining and deep green covers. She smiled as she saw the sunrise through the linings. She carefully got out of what seemed like a queen size bed. She rolled off and landed on the stone floor, which was very cold. She tiptoed to the window and opened it silently. A cool breeze flew in. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts fly away with the wind. Her hair flew around her face and she smiled fully, something she hadn't done in months. She opened her eyes and leaned on the window sill, letting the rising sun shine on her face, her hair still billowing around her. She sighed and wished she could stay there forever. She wished she could stay here and forget everything that had happened to her in the past few months. Something creaked behind her, and she gasped, jumping back from the window.

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Draco watched Hermione get up from bed and go to the window. He watched how she looked in the sunlight and wind. He furrowed his eyebrows as he watched her lean on the window sill, thinking to himself that he had seen something like that before. He covered his mouth in surprise as he remembered suddenly. He remembered when he was really little, about 6 years old, he went to Snape's house with his mother. A visit, she had said. He stayed in the living room and parlor room as they went to talk about business in the library. He noticed a picture on one of the tables. It was a picture of a brown haired girl. The prettiest girl he had seen in his life. She had chocolate brown eyes, which glittered in the sunlight, and her dark brown hair blew in the wind, looking as though it was dancing. She was smiling and it seemed as though nothing could make her sad in her life. Draco stood in his room, watching her in awe as he realized that the girl in the picture was a younger version of her. He took a step towards her, making the floor creak. She gasped, looking around for the creak. He sighed and stepped away from the doorway, from the shadows that hid him.

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She looked around the unfamilar room, looking for what moved behind her. She let out a breath of relief as she saw Draco step away from the door. She put a hand to her chest, closing her eyes. She had been so afraid it was Harry or Ron. She opened her eyes and watched him walk closer to her. She noticed that his chest looked better without a shirt than with one. She looked up at his face and watched his eyes, the way they moved from her body to her eyes, and softening when they did. Those grey-blue eyes of his, which she felt bore into her soul and found out everything about her. She blinked and looked away, looking back at the window. She heard him sigh behind her.

"We have to get you back before others know you're here."

She nodded and turned around to face him. He stared at her kinda funny. She arched her eyebrows at him.

"What? Is there something wrong?"

Draco shook his head and turned quickly to his drawer. He took out a blue T-shirt and put it on. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a light blue shirt. He threw them at her and she caught them in mid-air. She looked at them, then at him. She just looked at him. He shrugged.

"You're about the same size as my mom. I keep clothes in here just in case someone needs something."

She blushed and muttered an apology. She looked around for a place to change. Draco smiled at her.

"I'll be waiting outside for you. Just knock when you're done."

She nodded and watched him walk out. She changed quickly and when she went to knock on the door, she heard voices. She leaned on the door and listened.

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Draco closed his door and leaned on it. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Where is she?"

Draco opened his eyes and looked at Blaise. He narrowed his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

Blaise just gave him a look. Draco sighed again.

"She's in my room. Why?"

Blaise let out a sigh of relief. Draco just looked at him. Blaise looked at him and shrugged.

"Those of us in Slytherin admire her for hitting both boys and having the balls to tell them off after she receieved repercussion for it. It was awesome. We heard that the boys have been looking for her all morning and were hoping that she would be with you since, you know, you were last seen with her."

Draco blinked. Blaise put up his hands.

"We were worried man. Just checking on her."

Draco nodded.

"Yeah, she's ok. Would ya'll mind if she started sitting with us though? I don't think she's quite welcome at her table anymore."

Blaise smiled.

"Hell yeah. She'll always be welcome at our table."

Draco smirked at him and pushed him away.

"Go get dressed for breakfast man."

Blaise smiled and walked away to his dorm. Draco looked back at his door and knocked on it, causing a scream from Hermione. He smiled as he realized she had been listening.

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Hermione's mouth dropped open as she heard what just happened. Those who hated her for so long just said that she was welcome at her table. Someone knocked suddenly at the door, causing her to scream. She opened the door to a grinning Draco. She narrowed her eyes at him and walked out of his room. As they walked through the halls, she watched her feet. Draco looked at her every now and again. When they reached the Great Hall, she stopped. She shook her head.

"I can't do this. They'll be in there, waiting for me."

Draco stood in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"They'll have to go through damn near every Slytherin here. Nothing bad is going to happen to you."

She nodded, still not looking at him. He hugged her suddenly, surprising her. She put her arms around him, her forehead in his shoulder. He whispered softly in her ear.

"Someone, if not me, will be with you every day after your classes to make sure nothing happens."

She nodded again. She leaned back and looked at him.

"Let's go."

Draco smiled and opened the door for her. She walked inside, Draco right behind her. She stopped, not knowing what to do or where to go. She felt warm hands on her arms. She stiffened until she heard his voice.

"Breathe. Just breathe. I'll walk with you to the table."

She nodded and walked to the Slytherin table. Everyone in the Great Hall started to go quiet as more people noticed them. When they reached the end of the table, everyone was quiet, including the teacher's table.

"Hermione! Draco! Over here!!"

Hermione looked around the table for the source of the yelling. She saw Blaise on hte other end of the table, waving his hands and motioning them over to him. Draco gave her a little nudge and she started walking. As she walked by the people at the table, many smiled and said hey to her. She smiled back and waved at those who said hey. One or two of the boys actually got up to shake her hand. She finally got to Blaise, smiling. Blaise scooted over a few spaces and patted the place beside him. She sat down, Draco beside her. Only when she sat down did the talking continue. She looked up at Dumbledore, who winked and smiled at her. Her eyes strayed to Professor Snape. He was talking to Professor Flitwick. He caught her eye and kinda smiled at her. It shocked her. He never smiled at all. She finger waved at him and kinda smiled back. She turned back to Blaise, who was happily talking about this Ravenclaw girl who he thought smiled at him. After a few minutes, Hermione found herself really enjoying their company. After breakfast, she went to her classes. Almost every class was with Harry or Ron, who took turns glaring at her. She paid no attention to them during, but kinda after class. But whenever Harry, Ron, or Ginny tried to approach, Draco was true to his word. Him or someone from Slytherin was always there for her, starting a friendly conversation, covering for her. By the end of the day, she was still smiling. She had many new friends who liked her for who she was and not her homework. At dinner, she sat with Draco and Blaise, laughing and talking with them. Towards the end of dinner, she felt someone tap her on her shoulder. She turned to see Professor Snape behind her.

"Follow me. I have something to show you."

She nodded, saying goodnights to everyone, that she'll see them tomorrow and whatnot. She followed Snape down the hallways, looking out the windows whenever she passed by one. She smiled when she felt the wind in her hair. Soon, they came to a stop, in front of a door. Snape opened the door and ushered her inside. She took one look at the room and her jaw hit the floor. All she could see was pink, purple, and black.

"Oh my fudge cakes.."

She was so busy looking around the room, she didn't notice Snape mouth 'fudge cakes?' He watched her sit on the black couch and look at everything. Snape cleared his throat. She looked at him.

"This is your new room. Your dorm is on the right, the bathroom connected to it. There is also a mini library to the left. Since you are no longer welcome in the Griffindor accomodations or table, you will have your own room and sit at whatever table you want. I assume you want to stay in Slytherin?"

She nodded. Snape smiled again. She couldn't help but smile back. She turned her head away, looking at the fire.

"You look like your mother."

She looked at him, confusion in her face and her eyes. Snape looked at a loss for words, even though he said it.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that."

She blinked at him.

"But I look nothing like my mother."

Snape looked at her in disbelief.

"That's not possible. I remember correctly that she had your curly hair and your smile. Your skin tones are exact and your words are hers. You are your mother's daughter."

Hermione just looked at him.

"That's impossible. My mother has auburn, straight hair. She's pale as anything and our smiles and words are completely different."

Snape sighed and sat in a chair closest to the fire, staring at it.

"The woman who lives in your house is not your real mother. Your mother died when you were only 3. I went to school with your mother and became good friends. Believe me when I say that I see your mother in you."

Hermione just looked at him.

"What are you saying?"

Snape finally looked at her.

"Hermione, your mother was Pureblood, your father a muggle. You're half-blood, just like Potter. When you were born, your mother appointed me your godfather, without your father's knowledge of it. I wasn't allowed to see you anymore after your mother died. I forgot what your mother looked like to get rid of the pain of not being able to see you or her again. I forgot everything. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm so very sorry."

He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking slightly, the only sign that he was crying. Hermione was in shock. Never had she known that the woman in her house wasn't her mother. She never would've guessed that Snape, of all people, would cry because he wasn't there for her. She got up from the couch, walking the few feet to him. She touched his shoulder tentatively. When he did nothing, she touched one of his hands. He suddenly reached out, hugging her to him, still crying. She ran her fingers through his hair, which surprisingly wasn't greasy at all. It was as soft as silk and she knew that he was one of the few people whose hair looked greasy no matter what they did with it. She kneeled down, facing him. His face was red and tear-stained. He was muttering something. She leaned in close to hear. He was muttering,

"I'm sorry, Katarina. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry Katarina."

She assumed 'Katarina' was her real mother's name. She leaned back on her heels, getting comfortable on the floor.

"I'll make a deal with you."

He looked at her.

"What kind of deal?"

She smiled a little.

"I'll forgive you for everything that has happened to me at home and school all these years if.."

She looked at her hands, which she placed in her lap.

"..If you can tell me everything you can remember about my real mother."

Snape smiled and touched her chin. She looked up at him, unshed tears glazing her eyes over.

"All my life, all I wanted, more than anything, was a family. Your mother was my family and my friend. I would gladly tell you, her daughter, exactly everything that she was. Even if it takes me all night."

And that's exactly what he did.

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Did you like it?! Isn't it wonderful how everything just...doesn't happen the way people want it to?! I love it..lmao..Which is why I made this fanfic :)..Review please!!!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter..If I did..I would still write fanfics about Draco and Hermione!! Enjoy!

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Draco paced in front of his bed, thinking. Hermione hadn't come back yet, but Snape had escorted her somewhere. Draco stopped in front of his bed, looking out the window. His eyes strayed to his desk. Her letter sat on top of everything else. He went to his desk, picking her letter up, reading. He sat in his chair, putting the letter down. After much thinking, he picked up a blank piece of parchment, dipped his quill in his ink bottle, and started writing. He wouldn't tell her her know though. No, when the time is just right, he'll tell her. After he finished his letter, he raced out of the common room, through the halls, and to the owlry. He saw her owl sitting on a bench, looking out the window. 'Just like Hermione', he thought. He whistled, getting her attention. She hooted at him, then flew to him, landing on his shoulder. She nipped his ear affectionately while he tied his letter on her leg. When he tied it, she hooted and flew out the window. He waited until she was out of sight till he made his way back to his dormitory.

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Professor Snape laid Hermione down on the couch. She had fallen asleep on the floor, listening to him talk about her mother. He went into her room, getting a blanket for her. When he came back in the room, he saw an owl on the window sill, rapping on the window. He went to the window, opening it with one hand. The owl flew in, landing next to Hermione's head. The owl looked at her, then at him. It had a letter attached to its leg. He put the blanket on her, took her shoes off, made her all comfy, then looked at the owl. He went to the owl in attempt to take the letter. It snapped at him, giving him a look. He just blinked at it.

"Is it for her?"

The owl hooted, scooting towards her hair. He held his hand out.

"I will give it to her. I promise."

The owl eyed him. It cautiously held out its leg. He untied it gently, letting the letter drop into his hand. The owl hooted twice at him, as if to give him warning, then flew out the window. Snape looked at the letter in his hand. He turned it over, looking at the seal that held it together. It was a 'M' and a crest of some kind. He recognized it as a Malfoy crest. He set it down on the table in front to the couch. He bent down, kissed her forehead, then left to his own room.

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Sirius Black. Devil's Snare. Books. Triwizard Tournament. Everything reminded him of her. Harry Potter layed in his bed, wide awake, thinking of how much he missed Hermione. She never came back from dinner and now she sat at the Slytherin table. With Draco Malfoy, of all people. He missed her. He wanted to tell her he was sorry about everything, but he couldn't. It's not that he didn't have the guts to, it's just that...Something was holding him back, like a compulsive thing or something. He tried everything. Writing letters, which would start out good, then go bad when he blinked. Talking to her was, of course, bad. Especially that last time. He didn't know what happened. He remembered asking Malfoy what he did to her, blinked, then somehow he was on the floor. Or when he went to the owlery to see her. He remembered walking up to the door, blinked, then was sitting in the Great Hall with Ron and Ginny, blinked again, then was standing across from where Hermione and Draco sat. He didn't know what happened or why his hand stung so bad. He was losing time and didn't know why. It started when he went to the Weasley house in the middle of summer. He'd be doing something, blink, then completely be doing something else. One memory stood out. He was talking to George, blinked, and then he was standing in front of Ginny. She said she would do it, whatever it was, but only if he would promise that she wouldn't hate her and that it really was for her own good. He had no idea what she was talking about, but went along with it anyways. When he came to school, she wouldn't talk to Hermione, despite Hermione's attempts. During the school year, late at night, he would hear someone crying in the common room. By a gut feeling, it would be Ginny. A few times, he would watch her cry, holding a picture of her and Hermione at Hogsmeade. He didn't know what to do. She wouldn't talk to Hermione or anything and he didn't know why. Ron was acting weird too. It was like he was happy she was in misery and unhappy. He would find ways or sayings to hurt her. When he asked him about it, he just looked at him, then keep going as if nothing was said. He looked almost crazed. He somehow convinced everyone in Griffindor to not associate themselves with her anymore and earlier that day, he saw him talking with a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. And at dinner, he thought Ron would go to the Slytherin table. Ron didn't show up for breakfast, so he didn't see that Hermione now sat at the Slytherin table and apparently made new friends. At dinner, he watched Ron get up and move to the Slytherin table. He got as far as the Ravenclaw table before he stopped. He watched Ron look on in horror as he spotted Hermione laughing, smiling, and talking with Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zambini, and a few other Slytherins around her. Harry hid a smile in his food as Ron stormed back to the table, cussing and raising hell about her sitting there. When Harry looked back, he saw Professor Snape talking to Hermione. He watched her get up from the table and follow him. Harry rolled over in his bed, looking out his window. He furrowed his eyebrows, frowning as he saw a light from a window he'd never seen before. He looked back at Ron, who was dead asleep, snoring loudly. Harry grabbed his wand from the nightstand, muttered a silencing charm both ways; to make sure Ron didn't hear him and that he made no sound. He knew Ron had a tendency to follow him, and this time, he didn't want to be followed. He took out his invisibility cloak, wrapped his around him and snuck out. After 15 minutes of wandering, he found the room. Light shown from under it. He knocked lightly on the door. He heard rustling around and a groan.

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Hermione was dreaming a good dream. She saw her mother and was talking with her. Knock Knock She looked at the door in her dream. She woke up as her dream shattered, hearing someone knock on her door. She pushed the blanket off, groaning from sleepiness. She shuffled to the door, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and as she opened the door.

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Harry watched the door open. He took the cloak off so he wouldn't scare the person inside.

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She opened the door halfway when she heard a rustling of clothing moving around. She opened the door all the way and just stood there, horror and shock on her face.

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Harry watched the door open. His jaw dropped when he saw Hermione standing in the doorway.

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Hermione took her wand out quick, pointing it at Harry's throat.

"What are you doing here?"

Harry swallowed hard. He didn't know what to say. He opened then closed his mouth when nothing came out. She pressed her wand into his throat.

"Tell me now before I hex you."

Harry licked his lips, reaching into his robe. She quickly pointed her wand at his hand.

"You touch your wand, I will blow your hand off."

Harry shook his head.

"No wand. Just a vial for you to give me."

Hermione looked at him funny. She nodded after a minute of thinking then pulled him inside. She put a silencing charm on the door then turned back to Harry, who was looking around her room.

"What do you want?"

Harry looked back at her, a vial of clear liquid in his hand. She looked at it, then him. He shrugged.

"It's truth potion. I managed to make some over the summer."

Hermione blinked at him. Truth potion? Harry sighed sitting on the couch. Hermione went to one of the cabinets, opening it. She took out two glasses and a thing of orange juice. She poured orange juice into both glasses, bringing them to the couch. She set a glass in front of Harry, who nodded in thanks. He opened the vial. He leaned down to pour some in when Hermione stopped him with her hand.

"Give it to me. You could kill yourself if you pour it in like that."

He nodded, handing it to her. She took his glass and carefully put two drops in his drink. She set it back in front of him. Harry took a deep breath then drank some. Hermione sat on the floor on the other side of the table. Harry closed his eyes, his whole body shuddering, then stillness. Harry opened his eyes and looked at Hermione. She took a deep breath.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I need your help."

Hermione gave him a look.

"Right. Maybe you didn't mix it right."

Harry shook his head.

"I followed the instructions. I did everything. I even tried it on Dudley and it worked. I promise."

Hermione blinked at him. Did she dare believe him? She didn't know. She decided to ask a personal question. Something she knew that he didn't know she knew about.

"In our second year, did you show Lavender Brown what kind of boxers you wear?"

Harry looked shocked.

"Yes."

Hermione nodded. Ok, it was working.

"Why do you need my help?"

"Because I think I'm being possessed by something."

Hermione blinked.

"How do you know?"

Harry leaned towards her, as if to make sure that she was listening. She leaned on the table, listening intently.

"I don't remember things I've supposedly done. During the summer, the hours would skip around and I wouldn't remember anything. Like I'd black-out or something. I don't remember hitting you. I don't remember talking to you at all. People tell me what I've done and I don't remember."

Hermione looked away. She tried to think back to whenever she looked him straight in the eye. In the owlery. When he came. And when he hit her. His eyes. They were blue. Such a pretty blue color to match his black hair. She looked at Harry. His eyes were green. More at home with his face than the blue. And they looked scared.

"Hermione, help me..Please. I think Ron is controlling me to get to you."

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Thanks for reading!! Please review!!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I own all that you might not recognize. I dunno. You tell me what you do or do not recongize.

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_Running. A dark haired woman and her baby running. People behind her with swords, stakes, and fire. She hid in an alley, ducking down so she couldn't be seen. She looked down at her baby, who was a blond, blue-eyed child. Yelling. People yelling all around. She clutched her baby to her chest, closing her eyes. She felt someone stand over her. She huddled in fear until someone touched her shoulder. She looked up and saw a blond man in front of her. He looked almost identical to her baby. The relief on her face was apparent as she stood in front of him. He looked down at the baby. _

"Is that him?"

She nodded, touching the child's hair as he lay sleeping in her arms. She held her baby out to the man, who took him gently. She smiled as she watched the man with her baby. Her smiled vanished, though, as yelling could be heard again. The man looked behind him, hearing the yelling as well. She looked at the man.

"There is no time."

She put a hand on her baby's forehead. A soft glow came from her hand. The man looked shocked.

"What are you doing?"

She looked up at the man, the glowing growing stronger.

"Something I have to to keep our baby alive."

She closed her eyes again, the glow growing brighter with every second. As the glow grew brighter, the woman grew paler and weaker. Suddenly, the glow dimmed to a dull growing light. The woman looked deathly pale and very weak. She looked at the man, who was still in shock.

"I have to leave. Take care of him for me."

She touched his cheek.

"I love you."

He held her hand to his cheek.

"Don't leave me...please.."

She smiled weakly at him. She looked to her baby, touching his soft hair. She leaned down to kiss his forehead and whispered something.

"Use...only...good..."

Then she ran off into the streets, the people suddenly right behind her. A blood curtling scream. Someone screaming a name. Then darkness.  
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Draco woke up in a panic. Looking around, he saw he was in his room and began to calm down. These dreams were getting to him. Always the same dream, ever since he was 7. The same woman. She seemed so familiar and yet he didn't remember who she was. And he never understood what she whispered either. It was always 2 or 3 words from all the whispering. Draco layed back in his bed and stared at the ceiling. The same glow from the dream is the same as his. But he rarely ever used his glow. Only in situations he thought necessary. But...something told him that the woman was someone important in his life. He sighed, not knowing what to do. He looked at his window. She never wrote him back. She was probably sleeping, he thought. He eyes closed involuntarily as sleep made its way back to him.

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Hermione sat in one of the chairs, staring at the fire. She had spent the last hour and a half listening to Harry explain what he was talking about. And as crazy as it sounds, he believed him. He took the truth potion, it worked, and all his reasoning seemed...well...reasonable. There was nothing to be gained from him lying to her. She sighed and looked back at Harry, who fell asleep on the couch. His cloak hung over the arm of the couch. She got up and covered him with her blanket. He sighed in his sleep and turned to face her. She smiled a bit and ruffled his hair. She turned to the table and noticed an envelope on it. She picked it up and looked on the back. The crest was there. She smiled. Her friend had written to her. She sat down in her chair and opened it. It read:

_My beautiful lioness, _

I've been thinking about you. I want to meet you, but now isn't the time. But I didn't write to tell you this. I want your advice. I have what my mother calls a gift. I call it a curse. I am a wizard but I have extra powers. Something big. People don't know. Not even Dumbledore. No one knows but my mother. I don't use this power except for good. Actually, I dont' really use it at all. But I want your advice on something. There's a girl that I like. But I don't know if she likes me. She seems to like my best friend. Do I tell her how I feel? Let me know, please.

Yours Forever,  
Your clever snake

'Well,' she thought, 'at least I know what house he's in.' She smiled and put the letter down.

"Hermione...?"

She turned to see Harry sitting up, looking around frantically. She stood and went to him.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

He looked at her.

"I can feel something. Inside me. It's like...I dunno. Just something. Is there anything you can do? I don't want to hurt anymore. I want to remember what I do. I want to fight this. Please, don't let him get me."

Hermione searched her brain. Wasn't there a book about possessions? Didn't she read it when Ginny recovered from being possessed?

"Ummm...hang on."

She ran to her room, throwing around her stuff to find her books. She held up the book and nodded. She ran out into the living room and stopped just inside her doorway. Harry stood in front of the fire. He looked at his hands, then around the room. She set the book down on the floor as she crouched down. She pulled her wand out, ready and alert. He turned, looking around. She looked at his face. It was hard, but confused at the same time. His eyes though, were the most changed of all. They were a magnificent cerelean blue color. She felt the draw from his eyes. But something was wrong. She remembered when she looked at him earlier in the night. His eyes were their sparkling green color. She blinked. 'That's right. Harry's eyes are green, like his mother's' she thought. Hermione quietly looked through her book, trying to find what she remembered. She smiled as she found it. She looked up to see Harry looking at her library door. He touched it and put his ear to the door. He was checking the doors to see if anyone was here. She looked down at her book, reading. She pointed as she found it. She pointed her wand at Harry as he began to turn towards her door.

"Replacio Possessie"

Harry stopped in mid-step. She watched his eyes as they flickered colors. He finally blinked after a while and sighed. When he opened his eyes, they were green again. He looked around, confusion written all over his face. She sighed with relief. She held her book in one arm, her wand in the other. Harry looked at her.

"What happened? Why am I standing here?"

She leaned on her doorframe.

"You were possessed again. I pushed whatever it was out."

Harry nodded.

"Thank you."

She smiled.

"No problem."

He yawned and walked back to the couch. He sat down and looked at the table. She set her book down on the table as she passed the table to sit in her chair. She looked at him. He was staring at the envelope on table. He picked it up and looked on the back. He furrowed his eyebrows together, frowning. Hermione arched her eyebrow.

"Harry? You ok?"

Harry looked at her.

"Do you know who this is from?"

Hermione sighed.

"Harry, that's none of your business."

"You don't, do you?"

Hermione looked at the fire.

"He's a friend."

Harry looked skeptical.

"I know who it is."

Hermione looked at him, disbelief on her face. Harry sighed and got up, going to her. He knelt in front of her, holding the envelope.

"It's Malfoy, Hermione."

Hermione's mouth dropped.

"What?"

Harry put the envelope on her lap, showing the crest.

"That crest on the back of this envelope is the Malfoy crest. I remember seeing on Lucius's robes in my 2nd year."

Hermione just sat there for a minute. Malfoy? Is that why he's being all nice? She mentally shook herself. Of course he doesn't know who she is. She never let on who she was. She shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. He's still someone to talk to. And he's my friend."

Harry nodded, not really knowing what to say. He looked out the window to see the sun rays over the hills. He looked back at Hermione. She got up and motioned him to follow her. She went back into her room. Harry stopped in her doorway, watching her. She went to her nightstand by her bed and pulled something from her drawer. It looked like a necklace with a very large pendant. She walked to him with it. She leaned on tiptoe and draped it over his head and around his neck. He looked down at it. It looked like an ordinary pendant. It was a sapphire with silver lining. It looked kind of like a girl's necklace, but he didn't mind in the least. When she put him on it, he felt like a great weight was lifted off of him. He sighed and smiled at Hermione. She was grinning like there was no tomorrow.

"This amulet was given to me by my grandmother. She was a Wiccan and knew things like possession and stuff. She wanted me to have it, but I think you need it more than I. As long as you wear this, you don't need to worry about someone possessing you. Don't take it off for anything or anyone. If you tuck it in your robes, you can't tell you have it on."

She looked at her window. The sun had risen more int he past few minutes. She looked back at him. He was still in his pjs. She looked her wand from the the table and waved it over him. He was in his robes and ready for the day. She looked at the window again. She could see the tun over the hills now. Teachers would probably be up now. And that means that Snape will come and check on her. She looked back at Harry and he was tucking the necklace in his shirt. He looked back at her and smiled. She smiled back. She waved her wand over herself and she was in her robes. Right when her hand touched her side, someone knocked on her door. She turned to the door. She motioned Harry to the couch and mouthed at him to sit on it. He did as he was told and sat perfectly still. She went to her door and touched her hand to the doorknob.

"Who is it?"

"Hermione? It's me. Please, open the door. I need to talk to you."

It was Ginny Weasley.

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And that's it!! How do you like cliffhangers?! I'm sorry, but I had to do it...Please don't be mad at me!!! And please review!!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter..Only those I have made up myself!! Thanks!

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Severus Snape watched his ceiling for hours. He couldn't sleep. And when he tried, all he would see is her mother, Katarina. She was so beautiful. Nice. Friendly with everyone. Including him and Lucius. Everyone loved her. Especially him. They became best friends after she transferred from Durmstrag. Her first class with him was Potions and they were paired together. She showed as much intellect in it as he did. They became the best of friends after that, even though he was in Slytherin and she was in Griffindor. It surprised everyone when he had a true friend..and someone from Griffindor. Lucius had a crush on her, but then, everyone did. Including James and the rest of them. However, the only one who had her eye was Snape. No one knew why, not even him. She wanted to be around no one but him. Perhaps it was because he was the first person to be a challenge to her intellect. Her dark brown, curly hair...her chocolate brown eyes..her tanned skin... her smile when he did something she thought was cute...her laughter on a rainy day...

Snape rolled over to his side and sighed. How he missed her. After graduation, she went to the states for internship. She promised him that she would write everyday that she was gone. She was true to her word..for a few months. After about a year, the letters came no more. He worried, of course. After 3 years of hearing nothing, she came to his doorstep one rainy night. When he opened the door that night, he didn't expect to see this pale, depressed woman with a baby who looked just like the woman he loved. She came to him, seeking comfort from someone. He welcomed her with open arms, of course. Her and the baby, Hermione. She explained everything to him. How she found someone in the states, how they hit it off really well, and how she came to live with him here. She had her baby by him, but after she concieved little Hermione..He turned violent towards her. Finally, she ran for it and found Snape. Somewhere where she knew her and her baby could be safe. For 2 years, she stayed with him. He took care of her and Hermione. He became her godfather then and, oh how Hermione loved her godfather. Snape smiled at the wall he was staring at when he remembered her first words. She had looked at him and called him "daddy". Snape had never felt so much love for something so small. One day, after a doctor's appointment...Katarina found out about cancer...There was nothing anyone could do.

A tear fell down Snape's cheek as he remembered her last days with him. He turned to look back up at the ceiling. She was laying in her bed, deathly pale and her cheeks caved. She looked so pitiful laying there, in so much pain. Everyday, Hermione would climb up on bed with her and lay there with her. She would only eat with her mommy and she always wanted to sleep with her mommy. Snape didn't want her there when she finally passed. When she did, Hermione was sitting right beside her. She didn't cry and she didn't throw a fit. She did nothing but stare at her. Snape sat up and put his face in his hands. He remembered sitting on his couch, just like that. Little Hermione walked right up to him, put her tiny hand on his tear-stained cheek and smiled her smile at him. She told him that mommy was in her happy place and hurting no more. That he should be happy, like her. It struck him with admiration that a child that small and that young could understand death so well. Her funeral though...That was when he lost Hermione. Her biological father was there, demanding that he have his child back. Snape refused, saying that he was her guardian now. Her father took it to court and her father won her back. He never forgot her screaming in the courtroom for him when her father took her from his arms. She actually hit her father in the nose, which cause him to drop her. She got up from the floor and ran to him. She was two feet from him when her father picked her up again and went for the door. She screamed and cried for him. He cried himself that night..as well as the following nights. For 9 years, he made sure that he looked after her. He would disguise himself and then watch over her. He took a picture of her when she was just 6. She was standing by her bedroom window and he managed to take a picture of her, with the wind blowing in her hair. The only thing the picture did was wind blowing through her hair and her laughing. That was the only thing he treasured and he kept it in his living room, next to his chair. He looked at it everytime he was home. He caught Draco looking at it from time to time whenever his mother would bring him with her on business. He smiled at him, watching him watch his little Hermione. Snape's head rose as the sun began to hit it. He watched the sun rise as he thought of the last time he saw her. She had just turned 9 and he knew that in two years, she would be getting her letter. She had looked so much like her father back then. Pale skin, hair cut short, glasses on her face. Still, he loved her.

He didn't recognize her when she arrived at Hogwarts. Her hair had grown and the glasses were gone. Her skin was still pale, but you could tell that she was more like her mother than anything. He didn't really pay attention to her because all he saw was this know-it-all who hung out with Potter and Weasley and got in so much trouble. It wasn't until he saw Draco stand up for her and saw her crying in the hallway that he realized who she was. He never knew her father's last name, so her name didn't ring any bells when she first came. He took one look at her and saw that he had his little Hermione back. Now that she had no home to go back to, she could stay with him..Like she was supposed to. She might even remember a few things, like her room. He never touched it, only the bed, making sure it was the right size for her and everything. Other than that, it was exactly as she left it. Snape sighed as he got up from his bed. He dressed in his robes and looked back outside. The sun had risen more. He could see the rays over the mountaintops. He looked to his nightstand and picked up a photograph. A Muggle photograph. It was a woman. She was smiling, her curly, dark brown hair waving in the wind. She was holding it back from her face with one hand, the other at her side. Snape kissed his fingers and touched the photograph.

"I found her, Katarina. I found your daughter. If only you could see her now. She's just like you, in every way."

The window opened and a soft breeze flew in. Snape closed his eyes and turned his face to the wind. He smiled. He knew in his heart that she was listening and that she was happy once more. He set the photograph back down and walked out of his room, to Hermione's.

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Ginny Weasley was an intelligent girl. A girl in love. With Harry Potter. She'd do anything for him. Anything at all. Just to have his favor. When he approached her during the summer with the favor he asked of her...She was torn. But she did as her love bid her. As she laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling, she realized how alone she felt. She wiped at the tears that slid down her face and into her pillow. She was doing the right thing..wasn't she? She didn't know. Harry had been acting strange these past few months. She sat up in her bed and looked outside. It was still dark, but Ginny knew it was the wee hours of the morning. It would soon be light out. She looked to her nightstand, which still held the picture of her and Hermione at Hogsmead, before summer began. They were laughing and making faces at each other, then the camera. She sighed. She missed her best friend. She looked back outside and made a choice. A choice that would unmake everything..though she didn't know it yet, she had made a choice of life or death...As she dressed to go see Hermione, making a commitment to go and make amends with her best friend, one of the stars in the heavens seemed to move closer to the star which burned the brightest. This star already had three stars close to it, making this star the fourth. And as Ginny made her way to Hermione's room (she stole the Marauder's Map hehe..), the star came closer and closer to the brightest star. When Ginny knocked on Hermione's door, the star burned bright and then dimmed, making a home for itself beside the bright star and the other stars beside it. Ginny walked into Hermione's room and saw Harry. He stood and went to her, hugging her with everything he had. She hugged him back and smiled at him. Harry explained everything to Ginny, much like he did to Hermione. Ginny looked back at Hermione and Hermione nodded. She explained to Ginny what had happened and Ginny finally believed. She went to hug Hermione and when they embraced, the universe paused for a millisecond, then resumed everything...Something had happened that night, and as a smiling face in the forest watched everything from afar, they made a note in a book of some sort. Their face lifted to the skies and smiled at the stars, knowing what they meant and what it would mean in the coming months for the one who would save everyone..For the one who would show everyone her worth in this world...For the one who would finally find the love he had been looking for all his life...For the one who would find the family he never had...For the one who would find that her feelings will change how people look at the world they live in..The person in the forest smiled at Hermione's glowing window and their eyes burned with green fire as they thought of the prophecy that their dear one would fulfill. They turned and walked back into the forest, waiting for the day that she would find them..

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Thanks for reading!! Please review!!


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Yes..this is the end of the story...NOT!!! Honestly..Don't you guys have any faith in me?! lol Here's Chapter 14! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!! Only what I make up in my head..

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Draco woke to someone shaking him. His hand went flying aimlessly and turned over. That's when he heard the giggle. His eyes flew open and he turned over. Sure enough, there she was. Along with Potter and the Weasley girl, right behind her. He shot up in his bed and looked at her. Then behind her. Snape stood in his doorframe, a smile on his face. An actual smile. He thought he would never see the day when he actually smiled at something. He looked back at Hermione, who was grinning something fierce. Then she pounced on him. He was able to catch her last minute..but he wasn't able to catch them both from falling off the bed. She couldn't stop laughing as they both landed on the floor. He began laughing with her as they got tangled in the blanket together. When they finally got untangled, she helped him to his feet. He looked at her, admirably. Something inside of her had changed, and he liked what she turned into. She kissed his cheek and ran to Snape, who picked her up with ease. She threw her head back and laughed. Then looked back at Draco. He looked at Potter and the Weasley girl, who were holding hands and smiling along with Hermione. They turned their heads to him, still smiling. When he looked back at Hermione, she wasn't there anymore. He looked around and the scenery had changed. Snape, Potter, and the Weasley girl were looking down at a grave. Filled with curiosity, he went to the grave and looked down at the tombstone. It read, "Here lies Hermione Jane Granger: Friend and Goddaughter" There was no date on it or anything. He looked up and saw someone standing in the distance, looking at the grave from afar. It looked like a woman. He began to walk to her, beginning to pick out her features. She had dark brown curly hair, but despite her hair she had striking blue eyes. Her skin tone was a lightly tanned color and he could tell that she was at least a few inches shorter than him. Even has he walked towards her, in front of her, it seemed as though she didn't see him. Only when he was standing in front of her did she looked up. Unshed tears filled her eyes as she looked upon him. Then she hugged him tightly, hiding her face in his chest. He hugged her back, feeling as though he had to. When she looked back up at him, his eyes widened. It was Hermione. The brown haired, blue-eyed girl was gone and Hermione stood before him..As a six-year old child. He took a step back and she just stood there.

"Draco Malfoy. You have a destiny to fulfill."

He just stood there and looked at the six-year old child. Her voice was a mix between Hermione's and another woman's. It was mind-bloggling.

"And what exactly is my destiny..?"

She pointed behind him and he turned around. He saw Hermione..and a child. And instinctively he knew it was his child. She was happy and smiling with the child in front of her. His child. His daughter. Her curly brown hair flew around her face, making her giggle even more. When he caught a glimpse of her face, he gasped. It was the same child he held but moments ago. When he turned around, he saw just Hermione. But something was wrong..The coloring of her skin was wrong. He took a step back when he realized he was looking at a dead Hermione. But she still spoke.

"Your destiny is to help the woman you love so much. She needs help. The kind only you have. If you fail in your destiny, she will die."

She pointed behind him again and he turned, slowly. There was her grave again. He closed his eyes and turned back to her. Only to see the woman who haunted his dreams since he was a child. The dark-haired woman in his dreams. She smiled at his shocked expression. She held her hands out to him and the same glow that came from his hands, begun forming on hers. He held his hands out and the glow came out from his hands. Her smiled widened at him as he did this. He looked back up at her and he knew who she was.

"Mother..?"

She nodded and motioned him to her. He walked to her, his hands still outstretched. When their hands came close to one another, the glow became stronger. When their hands finally touched, the glow became so bright he had to close his eyes against it. It dimmed suddenly and he looked into the face of his mother. His real mother. Her face was tear-stained and still she cried. He released one of his hands and wiped her face. She touched his face gently, smoothing the hair back from his face. She leaned over to him, whispering in his ear.

"Use your powers only for good, for the one whom you love will count on the power you wield."

She leaned back and Hermione stood there, holding his hands. She smiled up at him and kissed him. When she leaned back, the brown, curly haired, blue-eyed girl stood in front of him.

"Wake up, Daddy.."

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Draco woke (again) in a panic. Someone was knocking on his door. He looked around his room. The sun shone through his window and he clutched his head. 'What a weird dream,' he thought. He walked to his door and opened it..To see a smiling Hermione.

"It's about time you woke up, sleepy head. Come on, you're going to be late for breakfast."

He blinked at her, then nodded. He threw his robes on and walked out into the common room, where only Hermione was sitting. She got up from the couch when he came into the room. She smiled at him and held her hand out to him. He smiled and took it. The both of them walked hand in hand to breakfast...but little did they know the surprise that awaited them both in the Great Hall...

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Haha!! Another cliffhanger! The surprise in the Great Hall!! Wonder what it is...Take a guess and leave your email! If you get it right, I'll send you the next chapters before I put it up!! Thanks for reading!!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!! Only the plot and the characters I make up...

Author's Note: Okay...the-leading-angel1 won my challenge!! Yay!! Congrats to her!!

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Hermione couldn't stop smiling, Draco noticed. She seemed to be humming some kind of Muggle tune (something about suds in a bucket, whatever that was..), because he didn't recognize it. When they reached the doors to the Great Hall, Draco stopped her. She turned to him, a puzzled look on her face.

"Something wrong?"

Draco sighed.

"Where were you last night?"

The question caught her off guard. She didn't know that he was waiting up for her or anything.

"I was with Professor Snape. He showed me to my new room. I'm sorry I didn't owl you and tell you. I was tired last night."

Draco just looked at her. Something was wrong..

"Who visited you?"

Shock was painted on her face. Then she smiled.

"Come on. We're need to eat before lessons start."

She grabbed his hand and pushed the doors open. Not many people were in the Great Hall, but enough to make a decent crowd around the Griffindor table. It seemed like there was a fight going on between a couple of people. Draco looked at Hermione, but her eyes were on the Griffindor table. As soon as a fight broke out, she ran to the table with Draco on her heels. When she broke through the crowd, there was Harry, fighting Ron. It seemed like Harry was winning, but then he flew back when a hex hit him. She ran to him and Draco just looked at her, confused. Ron stood up, looked at Draco and smiled evilly. He began to walk to him and Draco stood his ground.

"Stupify!"

Ron was thrown backwards and smacked into the wall. Draco looked to Hermione, who was holding her wand out and breathing heavily. Snape came running behind them, with the Headmaster on his heels. Snape kneeled beside Harry and Hermione and began to ask her questions. He nodded several times and picked Harry up and began to take him to the hospital wing. Hermione just watched them leave and then went to Ginny. She was crying. She hugged her and looked up at Draco. Draco walked to them, still puzzled as to what had happened. He kneeled down in front of her.

"Hermione? What's going on?"

She looked up at him and sighed. She looked back at Ginny and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Will you be okay? I need to talk to Draco for a moment.."

Ginny nodded and began to gather herself.

Hermione stood up and motioned him to follow her. He began following her through the halls, wondering where she was taking him. She stopped in the middle of the hall, turning to him. He touched her face.

"Hermione..?"

She looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes.

"Draco..I found out something last night.."

She then began to tell him about everything she learned last night. Snape being her Godfather, Harry's possession problem, and Ginny's..Well, just Ginny in general. After she was done, she just looked at Draco with a tear-stained face. Draco just looked at her. He was dumbfounded. His most trusted friend..was her Godfather. That was the thing that bothered him the most. He knew there was some kind of connection between them, but he didn't know it went that far. He blinked and walked off. He heard her calling out to him, but he didn't hear her. All these years, and he never knew that she was a half-blood. He stopped in his tracks. 'But I'm half-blood..Just like her. We're not that different after all..' He thought. He turned around to walk back to her only to see a pissed off redhead. Ron smirked and raised his wand. Before Draco could pull his wand out, he was flying through the air. He hit the wall and darkness clouded his vision.

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Hermione arrived at the Hospital Wing in a state. She told him everything and he just left her. She really believed that he changed, but she was wrong. She wiped at her face as she reached the doors to the Hospital Wing. She pushed the doors open and spotted Snape by a bedside. She walked to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He turned and smiled down at her. She smiled back at him. She looked at Harry and sighed.

"How's he holding up?"

Snape shook his head.

"He got hit really bad with a spell I didn't know a sixth year student could do. You, perhaps. Not Weasley."

He looked down at her and touched her hair, running the strands through his fingers.

"But Poppy said that he'll be fine in a day or two. So, don't worry too much."

She nodded and closed her eyes, a tear sliding down her cheek. Snape noticed and turned her to face him, kneeling in front of her.

"What's wrong?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him, tears trailing down her cheeks.

"I told Draco everything..And he walked away."

This took Snape by surprise. He didn't know that she had told him, but it surprised him even more by the way he took it. Draco was usually very rational with his decision, always thinking them through before doing anything. Hermione began crying again, covering her face. Snape pulled her close to him, hugging her.

"Everything will be okay..I promise."

She nodded and hugged him tighter, hoping that Draco would come back.

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The Griffindor common room was usually a welcoming room to Ginny. Not today. Today, she walked into the common room pissed. The joy of the common room no longer held with her. The minute she walked in, she saw Ron. He seemed to be watching the flames move around with what seemed like a childlike glee. She took a deep breath and walked to him. She stood by the arm of the couch and looked down at him. After a while, Ron looked up. He looked at his sister and smiled. He patted the seat next to him and scooted over so she could sit. She just stared at him until his smile fell.

"What's wrong Ginny?"

Ginny's face began to grow red.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?! You just sent your supposed 'best friend' into the hospital wing and you're asking me what's wrong?!"

She pulled out her wand so quickly, he didn't have time to react. Her wand was pointed at his throat as hot tears ran down her cheeks.

"You sent Harry into the hospital wing. You had no right to start that fight at all."

Ron stood up, taking no notice at the wand pointed at his throat.

"Oh, but I did. He betrayed me for that Mudblood and he had to be taught a lesson. Just like you."

He knocked her hand away and grabbed her throat, choking her. He raised her up by her neck and squeezed. She kicked, punched, scratched and still he held on. Ginny saw blackness surrounding her vision as she tried to breathe.

"Petrificus Totalus!!"

Ron's limbs stuck together and he fell to the floor. Ginny fell to the floor, gasping for air. She looked over and saw Draco standing there, his face bruised and bloody. He had ropes around his wrists and his ankles. He went to Ginny, who was still relearning how to breathe. He put a hand on her back.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, not questioning at the moment why he was there. Draco helped her up and put an arm around her waist.

"Come on. I think we both need to go to the hospital wing now."

They slowly, but surely, made their way out of the common room and towards the hospital wing...

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Thanks for reading!! Please review!!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter...Only the plot and the characters I make up!!

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It had been a few days since the incident in the Great Hall. The hospital wing had never had so many people in it, until that day. When Draco came in with Ginny, it seemed like everyone exploded. Snape and Madame Pomphrey tended to Ginny as Hermione and Dumbledore tended to Draco. She never met his eyes and he never met hers...

Draco now lay in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. It had to be close to midnight. He sighed and closed his eyes. The sound of a door closing opened his eyes. He looked to the door and saw no one. It was slightly opened, but that was it. He shrugged and closed his eyes again. Then he heard the rustling of clothing. He sighed again and opened his eyes. There stood a disheveled Hermione. She looked at him and then looked at the floor. Draco just stared.

"Why are you here?"

She sat down at the edge of his bed, looking at her hands.

"I came to tell you that I was sorry. I shouldn't have told you all those things."

Draco sat up and touched her shoulder. She looked over at Harry's bed. He was still unconscious, but he was showing improvement. Ginny's bed was beside his. It was how she wanted it and Dumbledore allowed it. Thought it would help Harry. She looked down at her hands again.

"I have a question to ask of you.."

Draco blinked and nodded.

"Okay. Ask me."

She reached inside her robes and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. She held it in her hands for a moment and then handed it to him. He took it, confused. He looked at it, unfolded it, and started reading it. It was his handwriting. His parchment. His crest that held it together. He looked up at her. She was still looking at her hands, but she looked as though she was about to cry.

"Did you really write all those letters to me, knowing it was me who wrote them..?"

Draco put the letter beside him and touched Hermione's face. She looked at him, unshed tears in her eyes.

"I didn't know it was you who wrote those letters. I knew when we were in Snape's office and you were explaining everything to him. I knew then that you were the one who wrote the letters to me. I knew it was you that I wrote those letters to. By judging your face, you didn't know. So, I kept writing as though I didn't know. Most of the letters I wrote, I never sent. Everytime I reread them, it sounded more and more like me."

He sighed and stroked her cheek.

"I didn't want to tell you until you figured out that it was me. I was afraid that you would hate me. I walked away because I didn't know what to think. I began walking back to you to explain, but then Ron attacked me. You know everything else after that.."

Draco watched her face the entire time he talked. Her face betrayed nothing. She began to turn her face away until Draco grabbed her face and made her look at him.

"Don't look away. Never look away."

She took a deep breath and looked at him. That's when the first tear was shed and she began crying. She leaned into his chest and began crying her heart out. Draco was at a loss. He still didn't know how to comfort a crying woman. He closed his eyes and let his instincts take over. He wrapped his arms around her and put his head on top of hers. As soon as she calmed down, Draco looked down at her. She began to move away, but Draco's arms kept her there. She looked up at him. He smiled.

"I have something to tell you as well..."

Draco then began telling her what he had kept a secret from everyone, including his mother.

"I've always had a dream. A dream of a woman running from screaming people. A baby in her arms. A blonde child. Then a man coming to help her. She gave him the baby, telling him it was his son. To take care of him. Then this glowing light came from her hands and onto the child. When the light dims, she looked weaker than she had been before. And she whispers something in the baby. I can't really understand what she's saying. After that, she runs into the lit torches and pitchforks. She screams and I wake up. Every night since I was seven, I've had these dreams."

He didn't want to mention the recent one to her. He was afraid that would truly frighten her. He took a deep breath and looked up at her. She was watching him with interest. He licked his lips and took another deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I want to show you something. Something I've never shown anyone. You have to promise not to tell anyone. Not a soul. Not even to Snape. You promise?"

She nodded. He held out his hand, motioning for her to take it. She took his hand and looked down at the joined hands. He held their joined hands up before them, looking at her over them. He began to smile as a warmth began to grow between their hands. She looked at him, shock on her face. She could feel the warmth of their hands climb up to her arm and then flow down her body. She gasped as it began to pulse from their hands through her body and back. She closed her eyes and let the feeling take over.

"Don't look away. Never look away.."

She opened her eyes again. She looked at Draco, knowing her face mirrored hers. She looked at their hands and saw they were surrounded by a glow. She looked back at him.

"Is that you?"

He nodded. He pulled her closer to him, inch by inch. As their hands began to get closer to him, the glow became stronger. Soon, their faces were inches apart. As he brought his face closer to hers, his mother's voice came back to him from the dream.

"The woman you love will count on the power you wield."

He smiled as he realized that his mother was talking about Hermione. Hermione looked at him and smiled.

"I'll never look away."

He kissed her and sealed his destiny.

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Snape smiled from the doorway of the hospital wing. He had managed to snag the Marauder's Map a few months back and watched as Hermione went from her room to the hospital wing. He followed her, making sure she didn't get caught or hurt. She made it there safely and he stood by and watched them. He watched them until he thought it was time for him to leave. He walked back to his room and sat down at his desk. His window was open, so the night wind blew in. It sent a cool breeze through his room. He got up to put out the light when he heard her.

"Severus.."

He froze. It couldn't be. He turned around and there she was. His heart hammered in his chest as he looked upon the woman he fell in love with so long ago. Katarina stood in front of the window, her hair billowing in the wind. She smiled at him.

"Severus..."

Snape began breathing again as he heard his name.

"Katarina..Wha..How..?"

She smiled wider and she pushed her hair out of her face, an old gesture of hers. He watched with fascinated eyes as she did this old gesture.

"I am not truly here, as you know. I am here in spirit, to guide and protect the one I hold dear to my heart...and you, of course. You know the prophecy between those two.."

He nodded, walking closer to her. He stood in front of her. She smiled softly at him and touched his cheek. For a moment, he felt the warmth of her hand on his cheek. A tear fell from his eyes as closed them, savoring her touch. He opened his eyes, tears falling from them. He watched as tears fell from her eyes as well. She took a breath.

"How I wish I was still here for you to hold me once more. To hold her once more. To watch her grow into the person we always knew she would be. I wish upon every star in Heaven to be here now..But I can't be.."

Her bottom lip trembled as more tears fell from her eyes. He automatically reached out to brush them away, only to meet air. He looked at his hand, then at her. She closed her eyes and turned her head away. She took a shaky breath and looked at him again. Unshed tears still filled her eyes, but her voice was steady.

"Draco and Hermione must be together. The war is coming and the Dark is growing. If they find out about Draco's power, they will try and turn him against everyone. They will torture those he holds closest to his heart. This includes our Hermione. You must stop this from happening. I am not here to guide her, so you must. She has to be with you every holiday, including the summer. Draco's mother is trying to guide him as best as she can. We both are."

Snape frowned a bit at this. She smiled a little.

"Draco is just like you and her. A half-blood. Which is why it's a perfect match. Please guide her and protect her. You promised me you would."

He nodded.

"I'll protect her until the day I die."

She smiled and leaned forward. When their faces were inches apart, she whispered softly to him.

"You always knew that I loved you. Even when I left, you still believed I would come back. Even when I bore a child that wasn't yours, you took us in and loved her like she was your own. You still do."

More tears fell from her eyes.

"I live in you both. In your hearts."

He closed his eyes, hot tears trailing down his face.

"I miss you so much, Rina. If only you knew how much."

She took a shaky breath.

"I don't have much time. I was granted this time to inform you of what your duties were. What you always knew them to be."

He opened his eyes and looked at her, frantic.

"Don't leave me. Not again. Please don't leave me."

She smiled, even though she cried.

"I love you, Severus. Nothing will ever change that. And know that every time you look into our little girl's eyes, I'm there. I'm there with you both."

She began to fade. Snape began to make frantic motions, trying to grab her to keep her there with him. All his arms met was air.

"No! Not again! Katarina!!"

She kissed him and was gone. He collapsed to his knees.

"NOO!!"

He collapsed to the ground and just cried..

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Aww...Isn't that sad? I cried writing this chapter...Please review!!


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